Bill Posey: “Title IV of this bill includes language from H.R. 1508, the Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act. I introduced…”

“Title IV of this bill includes language from H.R. 1508, the Space Resource Exploration and Utilization Act. I introduced this bipartisan, bicameral bill with my colleague from the State of Washington, Derek Kilmer, and with support from many members of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee. I appreciate the work and the research of Senators Patty Murray and Marco Rubio to introduce identical legislation in the U.S. Senate. H.R. 1508 provides legal clarity that if a company mines resources from an asteroid in outer space, it has the right of ownership to those resources. It does so consistent with U.S. international obligations. The right to explore and use outer space is found in article I of the Outer Space Treaty. Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty explicitly recognizes that nongovernmental entities, such as private corporations, may explore and use outer space, including the right to remove, take possession, and use in situ natural resources from celestial bodies. In drafting and negotiating title IV, there was a challenge in determining the best language to use to recognize this right. The term ``obtain'' was ultimately chosen because it was technically and politically neutral. It is our intention that only through actually physically recovering a resource does a company have the right of ownership of those resources. In short, Mr. Speaker, the U.S.…”