Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act
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A bill to let battery recycling facilities store old lithium-ion batteries under looser waste rules instead of the stricter hazardous-waste permit system, so recycling more batteries isn't a bureaucratic ordeal. Both parties actually agreed on this one: Republicans praised it as cutting red tape and keeping critical minerals out of China's hands, Democrats called it a safety-preserving compromise. No grandstanding, no tangents, no one reading their district's resume into the record. Congress managed to briefly do its job and pass something bipartisan about trash. Enjoy it while it lasts.Written by GLM 5.3 Flash. Updated .
“Let's talk about this bill. I want to make it easier for businesses that store batteries before recycling them. They won't need a special permit. That helps recycling.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier to recycle lithium-ion batteries.”
“Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9615) to support the recycling and recovery of lithium-ion batteries, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9615) to support the recycling and recovery of lithium-ion batteries, as amended. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows:
“I support this bill. Batteries are useful after they die. People will recycle more batteries soon. The EPA makes recycling hard. The bill fixes that. The EPA will make rules. This will help businesses recycle batteries. Everyone on the committee agreed on the bill. Everyone else should agree too.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier for facilities to store used lithium-ion batteries before recycling them. This will help our country recycle more valuable minerals like nickel, cobalt, and copper.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, end-of-life batteries are a strategic source of nickel, cobalt, and copper, and the volume of batteries available for recycling is expected to triple over the next 10 years. The Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act, or the BRACE Act, introduced by my colleague Representative Miller-Meeks, would address an unnecessary limitation in the EPA's current regulations by allowing destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store the batteries prior to recycling. The legislation would also require EPA to conduct a rulemaking to establish lithium-ion batteries as a separate category of universal waste within 18 months, providing greater regulatory clarity and certainty to support the growth of the domestic battery recycling industry. Mr. Speaker, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced this bill by a unanimous vote, 46-0. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, end-of-life batteries are a strategic source of nickel, cobalt, and copper, and the volume of batteries available for recycling is expected to triple over the next 10 years. The Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act, or the BRACE Act, introduced by my colleague Representative Miller-Meeks, would address an unnecessary limitation in the EPA's current regulations by allowing destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store the batteries prior to recycling. The legislation would also require EPA to conduct a rulemaking to establish lithium-ion batteries as a separate category of universal waste within 18 months, providing greater regulatory clarity and certainty to support the growth of the domestic battery recycling industry. Mr. Speaker, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced this bill by a unanimous vote, 46-0. I urge my colleagues in the House to support this bipartisan legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.
“I want this bill to pass. Batteries are important. We need to recycle them better. The EPA will make rules about this. The bill makes EPA do it. The rules will be about fire safety. Batteries can start fires. The rules will also be about health and the environment. Batteries have dangerous stuff. The bill treats different places the same. It keeps safety rules strong. This bill is good for everyone. It is a compromise. Both sides gave up some things. The committee agreed on it. I think it is a good step. I want everyone to support it.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier to recycle batteries in the United States and keeps important minerals here. It also requires clear safety rules to prevent fires and protect our health.”
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 9615, the BRACE Act, will help us increase the domestic recycling of batteries while keeping critical minerals found in those batteries in the United States for future use. This bill is a compromise and a win-win for the environment and our economic supply chain. First and foremost, this bill will require the Environmental Protection Agency to develop, finally, a regulatory framework specifically for lithium-ion battery recycling that addresses safety concerns while protecting public health and the environment. EPA has promised battery recyclers a lithium-ion battery rule for years, and the BRACE Act will finally get it done. The new rule will consider new safety measures for battery recycling, which is critically important as many landfills and recyclers have been forced to address the fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries without any guidance from EPA on how to manage these risks. The rule also requires EPA to take into consideration any impacts on health and the environment. This is because we know that many of the substances found within these batteries are hazardous and should be managed properly. The bill creates parity between facilities that temporarily store lithium-ion batteries before recycling and facilities that store battery waste onsite. It also maintains and, in some cases, establishes stronger regulatory guidelines for safety at these facilities. The BRACE Act offers a meaningful path forward on lithium-ion battery recycling. It ensures we keep critical mineral components in our domestic supply chain, all while protecting health and safety. To be clear, the BRACE Act is a bipartisan compromise. While the text does not include everything either side might have wanted, there was significant bipartisan work done to reach this agreement. I commend my colleagues for their efforts, as this bill unanimously advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I believe the BRACE Act is a reasonable and meaningful step forward on battery recycling, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 9615, the BRACE Act, will help us increase the domestic recycling of batteries while keeping critical minerals found in those batteries in the United States for future use. This bill is a compromise and a win-win for the environment and our economic supply chain. First and foremost, this bill will require the Environmental Protection Agency to develop, finally, a regulatory framework specifically for lithium-ion battery recycling that addresses safety concerns while protecting public health and the environment. EPA has promised battery recyclers a lithium-ion battery rule for years, and the BRACE Act will finally get it done. The new rule will consider new safety measures for battery recycling, which is critically important as many landfills and recyclers have been forced to address the fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries without any guidance from EPA on how to manage these risks. The rule also requires EPA to take into consideration any impacts on health and the environment. This is because we know that many of the substances found within these batteries are hazardous and should be managed properly. The bill creates parity between facilities that temporarily store lithium-ion batteries before recycling and facilities that store battery waste onsite. It also maintains and, in some cases, establishes stronger regulatory guidelines for safety at these facilities. The BRACE Act offers a meaningful path forward on lithium-ion battery recycling. It ensures we keep critical mineral components in our domestic supply chain, all while protecting health and safety. To be clear, the BRACE Act is a bipartisan compromise. While the text does not include everything either side might have wanted, there was significant bipartisan work done to reach this agreement. I commend my colleagues for their efforts, as this bill unanimously advanced out of the Energy and Commerce Committee. I believe the BRACE Act is a reasonable and meaningful step forward on battery recycling, and I urge my colleagues to support it. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
“I want this bill to pass. I wrote it. My bill helps recycle batteries. Batteries have important metals. We need to recycle them here. Right now we send them overseas. Sometimes to China. That's bad. Old rules are too hard for battery recyclers. My bill makes the rules easier. Recyclers can store batteries where they recycle them. This saves money and trouble. My bill is good for business here. My bill is good for our supplies of important metals. I want everyone to vote for my bill.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It makes it easier to store and recycle used batteries here at home instead of sending them to other countries like China. It cuts down on extra rules and permits so we can safely recover valuable minerals.”
“Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 9615, Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act, the BRACE Act. This is a bipartisan bill to strengthen America's domestic battery recycling industry and recover critical minerals already in our country. This is on top of bills I have introduced with the same thing, recovering from hard drives. I would also like to thank my colleagues across the aisle, Representatives Menendez and Ruiz, for joining me on this legislation. Demand for lithium-ion batteries has grown exponentially, driven by electric vehicles, energy storage, communication, and consumer products. As these batteries reach the end of their lives, recycling can help recover valuable critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Yet, much of this material is sent overseas, often to China, for processing. In our landfills, it creates a fire hazard. Our current RCRA regulations, which predate the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, create unnecessary costs and uncertainty for recyclers. The BRACE Act would allow destination facilities to store lithium-ion batteries at the same location where they are recycled, eliminating unnecessary costs or the need for complex permits. This commonsense update will help grow domestic battery recycling and strengthen our critical mineral supply chains. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the BRACE Act.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me time. I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 9615, Battery Recycling for America's Competitive Economy Act, the BRACE Act. This is a bipartisan bill to strengthen America's domestic battery recycling industry and recover critical minerals already in our country. This is on top of bills I have introduced with the same thing, recovering from hard drives. I would also like to thank my colleagues across the aisle, Representatives Menendez and Ruiz, for joining me on this legislation. Demand for lithium-ion batteries has grown exponentially, driven by electric vehicles, energy storage, communication, and consumer products. As these batteries reach the end of their lives, recycling can help recover valuable critical minerals, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Yet, much of this material is sent overseas, often to China, for processing. In our landfills, it creates a fire hazard. Our current RCRA regulations, which predate the widespread use of lithium-ion batteries, create unnecessary costs and uncertainty for recyclers. The BRACE Act would allow destination facilities to store lithium-ion batteries at the same location where they are recycled, eliminating unnecessary costs or the need for complex permits. This commonsense update will help grow domestic battery recycling and strengthen our critical mineral supply chains. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for the BRACE Act.
“I want this bill to pass. I like it. It is good for recycling batteries. I think everyone should vote for it.”
“I want the House to pass this bill. It is a good and sensible step forward for battery recycling.”
“Mr. Speaker, the BRACE Act is a reasonable and meaningful step forward on battery recycling. I urge my colleagues to support it and vote in favor of it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
Official Congressional Record
Mr. Speaker, the BRACE Act is a reasonable and meaningful step forward on battery recycling. I urge my colleagues to support it and vote in favor of it. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
