Regulatory Alert |
Published November 23, 2009
On November 19, 2009, Representative Jim McDermott (D-WA) introduced a bill (H.R. 4128), known as the "Conflict Minerals Trade Act," that would be intended to improve transparency and reduce trade in conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (“DRC”). Targeted minerals would initially include columbite-tantalite (coltan), cassiterite, wolframite, or their derivatives, (“covered minerals”) some of which are used in certain electronic products. H.R. 4128 would, among other things, ban imports of products identified as containing covered minerals unless the minerals had been sourced from an audited processing facility following audit procedures provided in the bill. The bill would also establish a certification process for goods imported into the United States (“U.S.”) that have been listed by the Secretary of Commerce as likely to contain covered minerals.
