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Hearing Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace.
house Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee · Jul 22, 2026 · Transcript · 51 transcript matches
JOHN HEWITT "and the Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act. We applaud committee members on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan support to strengthen consumer protections. Currently, environmental marketing claims are governed by overlapping and conflicting federal and state laws. The cumulative impacts are consumer confusion, unnecessary increased consumer costs, regulatory uncertainty, and stifled economic investment in domestic manufacturing. The RMAA and PAC Act are complementary legislative solutions that will help remedy these problems. RMAA modernizes how recycling and recycled content are..."
Hearing Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026 · Transcript · 18 transcript matches
PALLONE, FRANK "With a national recycling and composting rate of just 32 percent, there's clearly a lot of room for improvement. And thankfully today, the committee is considering H.R. 2145, which will help improve that statistic and address challenges facing our recycling and composting systems nationwide. This bipartisan package, comprised of the Recycling, Infrastructure, and Accessibility Act, led by Representatives Miller-Meeks and McClellan, and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, from Representative Neguse, aims to tackle two key hurdles, access to recycling services and data. First, the..."
Hearing Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical Mineral Recovery and Recycling
house Environment Subcommittee · Jun 24, 2026 · Request transcript · 12 transcript matches
PALLONE, FRANK "All right, I appreciate it. And of course, my view is that we don't need to exempt the so-called black mass from solid waste protections to recycle batteries because, as you said, there are already examples of recyclers managing the solid waste designation appropriately while successfully moving forward with recycling batteries. So I think it's clear that battery recyclers are already doing this work without the need for that"
Hearing Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy Subcommittee · Jun 9, 2026 · Transcript · 6 transcript matches
MS. MARIA KORSNICK "and doesn't call them production facilities, but instead has them licensed under Part 70, a different part than what currently would be used to license. That new part is more appropriate and a more appropriate framework for recycling facilities because it's targeted at fuel facilities, which is the right framework for recycling because recycling produces fuel for other reactors. And so, I think it's a nice step forward to help appropriately license"
Hearing Hearings to examine S.1034, to establish the Southwestern Power Administration Fund, S.1242, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry...
senate Water and Power Subcommittee · Mar 17, 2026 · Transcript
SPEAKER_02 "Senator Cortez-Masto's Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act and Senator Daines' Fort Peck Water System Reauthorization Act extend authorities without the need for additional funding. Senator Padilla's More Water Act reauthorizes the Large-Scale Water Recycling Program as well as other recycling and environmental restoration programs. The More Water Act also creates a broad new conveyance program for federal and non-federal projects that expand Reclamation's authorities beyond what are presently funded by"
Hearing Subcommittee Markup of Seven Pieces of Legislation
house Environment Subcommittee · Jul 14, 2026 · Transcript · 5 transcript matches
MILLER-MEEKS, MARIANNETTE "In addition to lingering uncertainty resulting from the drifting deadline for specific lithium-ion battery universal waste rules, the current universal waste rules also impose unnecessary costs and burdens on recyclers of lithium-ion batteries. This legislation would address one of those problems with the current regulations by allowing destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store the batteries prior to recycling them. Under the existing universal waste regulations, handlers of universal waste may store batteries under certain rules. However, destination facilities are..."
CRS Report
Considerations for Reprocessing of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Reports · Jan 23, 2025
Nuclear reactors generate about 20% of U.S. commercial electric power and almost half of the nation’s low carbon electricity generation. However, nuclear reactors also produce highly radioactive...
Hearing Hearings to examine S.1034, to establish the Southwestern Power Administration Fund, S.1242, to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to carry...
senate Water and Power Subcommittee · Feb 24, 2026 · Request transcript
Hearing Organizational business meeting to consider committee rules, an original resolution authorizing expenditures by the committee during the 119th...
senate Environment and Public Works Committee · Feb 5, 2025 · Request transcript
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"and the Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act. We applaud committee members on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan support to strengthen consumer protections. Currently, environmental marketing claims are governed by overlapping and conflicting federal and state laws. The cumulative impacts are consumer confusion, unnecessary increased consumer costs, regulatory uncertainty, and stifled economic investment in domestic manufacturing. The RMAA and PAC Act are complementary legislative..."
Testimony MATSUI, DORIS O.
Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"this committee knows that my number one priority is nuclear waste. As a country, we cannot continue to develop nuclear power without a plan for the waste. It's not fair to communities like my district who are left to deal with the waste on their own for 30 years and who are forced to repeatedly sue the federal government to cover the cost of dealing with the waste. I support the Nuclear Refuel Act because recycling could play an important role in reducing nuclear waste, and this bill would make..."
Witness Keefe Harrison
The Recycling Partnership · 1 hearing
CRS Report
The Tax Credit Exception for Leased Electric Vehicles
InFocus · Apr 7, 2026
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA; P.L. 117-169) created or modified three tax credits for purchases of electric vehicles (EVs): the clean vehicle credit (CVC), the used clean vehicle credit (UCVC),...
CRS Report
Western Water and Drought: Legislative Analysis of H.R. 2898 and S. 1894
Reports · Dec 23, 2015
Several western states are experiencing extreme or exceptional drought conditions. The persistence and intensity of the drought, which began in 2011 in some areas, has received considerable attention...
CRS Report
Bureau of Reclamation WaterSMART Program
InFocus · Feb 12, 2026
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) funds programs promoting water conservation into a single program—the WaterSMART (Sustain and Manage American Resources for Tomorrow) program. The program was...
CRS Report
Defense Primer: Acquiring Specialty Metals and Sensitive Materials
Resources · Aug 20, 2024
Some metals and metal alloys, as well as strong permanent magnets known as rare earth magnets, are critical to U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) operations. These are frequently integrated into...
CRS Report
DOE Hydrogen Program Appropriations: FY2025
Resources · Jul 22, 2024
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program addresses the development of applications that use hydrogen in place of today’s fuels to provide modern energy services. The program also...
CRS Report
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2024 Budget and Appropriations
Resources · Apr 5, 2024
The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior, is primarily responsible for the construction and operation of hundreds of large dams and water diversion structures...
CRS Report
DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy FY2024 Appropriations
Resources · Mar 21, 2024
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is responsible for enabling renewable energy and end-use energy efficiency technology development and...
CRS Report
Department of Energy Funding for Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Programs FY2022
Resources · Mar 23, 2023
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Hydrogen Program, led by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO) within the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) addresses the...
CRS Report
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2023 Budget and Appropriations
Resources · Feb 15, 2023
Overview The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for the construction and operation of hundreds of large dams and water diversion structures in...
CRS Report
Bureau of Reclamation: FY2022 Appropriations
Resources · Mar 28, 2022
Overview The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), part of the Department of the Interior, is responsible for construction and operation of hundreds of large dams and water diversion structures in the...
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"A recent study that was published by Californians for Affordable Packaging estimated that the actual cost is going to be somewhere between $56 and $78 billion, much higher than referenced in the Teamsters letter, and what that equates to for the average Californian family is an increase in grocery costs of $683 to $948 per year for those respective households. The good news, or the good thing, and what we're here to support today on behalf of the Recycling Leadership Council and the Consumer..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"businesses with the confidence to make domestic investments into our recycling infrastructure. Because a lot of this is just very difficult. Yes, sir. First of all, thank you for support of these important pieces of legislation, bipartisan pieces of legislation. We all want to recycle more. We all want less to go to landfill. And we all want to use and incorporate more recycled content into our products, whether we're consumers or the manufacturing community. more recycled content into our..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"With a national recycling and composting rate of just 32 percent, there's clearly a lot of room for improvement. And thankfully today, the committee is considering H.R. 2145, which will help improve that statistic and address challenges facing our recycling and composting systems nationwide. This bipartisan package, comprised of the Recycling, Infrastructure, and Accessibility Act, led by Representatives Miller-Meeks and McClellan, and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, from..."
CRS Report
DOE’s Vehicle Technologies Office in the 119th Congress
Legal Sidebar · Sep 26, 2025
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO) executes funding for research and development (R&D) of vehicle technologies (e.g., engines, motors, batteries), alternative fuels,...
Hearing Business meeting to consider S.140, to address the forest health crisis on the National Forest System and public lands, S.332, to require a study...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jun 10, 2026 · Request transcript
Hearing Beyond the Blue Bin: Forging a Federal Landscape for Recycling Innovation and Economic Growth.
house Environment Subcommittee · Jul 16, 2025 · Request transcript
CRS Report
DOE Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Appropriations, FY2025
Resources · May 2, 2025
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) is responsible for renewable energy and end-use energy efficiency technology development. Other...
CRS Report
Shale Energy Technology Assessment: Current and Emerging Water Practices
Reports · Jul 14, 2014
Shale oil and gas (collectively referred to as shale energy), long considered “unconventional” hydrocarbon resources, are now being developed rapidly. Economic extraction of shale energy resources...
CRS Report
Energy and Minerals Provisions in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (P.L. 117-58)
Reports · Mar 31, 2023
On November 15, 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, P.L. 117-58). This broad infrastructure law addresses a range of issues, including surface...
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"and RLC and consumer brands members are aiming to achieve greater material circularity. Consumers want to recycle and want packaging to be made with recycled content, and companies are working to reach these goals. This alignment of consumer expectations with the desire to meet them is the basis for our support of both the Recycled Materials Attribution Act and the Packaging and Claims Knowledge Act. We applaud committee members on both sides of the aisle for their bipartisan support to..."
Testimony FULCHER, RUSS
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"In that letter, it says our union was proud to support SB 54 in 2022. We represent thousands of sanitation and recycling workers and have long championed source reduction and strong recycling infrastructure to protect public health and local recycling jobs, but now that regulations are finalized and the producer responsibility organization's draft plan and fee schedule are public, we have heard from virtually every employer category we represent that the program, as structured, is unworkable...."
Testimony VEASEY, MARC A.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Thank you, Mr. Chairman. A lot of times Americans talk about the fact that they want less plastic, but I think that we all know that that's easier said than done. Of course, we don't want plastic in our rivers and our oceans and as we go walking along our sidewalks. We want to be able to do everything that we can to lessen that. And most Americans believe that all you have to do is place plastic in a blue bin after you finish using it and that's going to get recycled. We have the recycling bins..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"authorize funding for school-based health centers, which allow students to access mental health, dental and primary care, as well as nutrition education right at the school. We are considering a bipartisan recycling bill, also from our Environment Subcommittee. This package is a long time coming and represents a good step forward to bolstering our domestic recycling and composting systems through improved data collection and increased recycling accessibility. Finally, I am pleased that we are..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"and transporting recyclable materials. A 2024 EPA report found that 40 percent of households don't have access to recycling services, which is incredible in my opinion, but by investing in programs to improve curbside collection, drop-off, and processing infrastructure by 2030, the U.S. could nearly double our recycling rate to help close that gap. Thus, expanding recycling access is imperative to divert more recyclables from landfills, Thus, expanding recycling access is imperative to divert..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"All right, I appreciate it. And of course, my view is that we don't need to exempt the so-called black mass from solid waste protections to recycle batteries because, as you said, there are already examples of recyclers managing the solid waste designation appropriately while successfully moving forward with recycling batteries. So I think it's clear that battery recyclers are already doing this work without the need for that"
Testimony MS. MARIA KORSNICK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"and doesn't call them production facilities, but instead has them licensed under Part 70, a different part than what currently would be used to license. That new part is more appropriate and a more appropriate framework for recycling facilities because it's targeted at fuel facilities, which is the right framework for recycling because recycling produces fuel for other reactors. And so, I think it's a nice step forward to help appropriately license"
Testimony MATSUI, DORIS O.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"was actually shut down over 30 years ago. It's in Sacramento, California, but the spent fuel is still there because the U.S. government has failed to implement an effective nuclear waste program. And I'm really disappointed that we're having this hearing today without considering legislation that would advance an effective nuclear waste program. Now, many of my colleagues on this committee believe that recycling will solve the waste problem for us, but it remains to be seen whether recycling or..."
Testimony MATSUI, DORIS O.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"Is that correct? Okay. Now, earlier this year, the Department of Energy announced plans to support so-called nuclear life cycle innovation campuses, which would host recycling, fuel fabrication, and waste disposal activities. Dr. Huff, if these sites were doing recycling at scale, they'd have to store waste before processing, and they still have to deal with the leftover waste after recycling. At what point does that become an interim storage facility? Right. Okay. So under what circumstances..."
Hearing Business meeting to consider S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act to allow for...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jul 29, 2026 · Transcript · 2 transcript matches
PADILLA, ALEX "And because of these reasons I share with my Democratic colleagues, I was against your bill for today, but look forward to working with you, with the Chairman, with all of our colleagues to strike a balanced approach to conservation in this committee. And I'm glad you were still here to hear me provide these remarks for the record. Mr. Chairman, I also do want to thank you for including on today's markup my More Water Act and other bills to address drought across the West. The More Water Act is a companion to Senator Cortez Masto and Senator Curtis' Large Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization..."
Testimony BILIRAKIS, GUS M.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"education, strong safety standards, and enforcement. As online marketplaces continue to grow and imported products enter the U.S. in record numbers, it is critical that the CPSC is fully equipped to fight the wave of unsafe Chinese products flooding the American market. Today, we will examine 12 bills that would strengthen these agencies' ability to protect consumers. Several bills, including the PAC Act and the Recycled Materials Attribution Act, will improve transparency by addressing..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Good morning, Chairman Bilirakis, Ranking Member Schakowsky, members of the committee. On behalf of the Recycling Leadership Council and the Consumer Brands Association, thank you for the opportunity to discuss two truth in labeling consumer protection bills pending your consideration. These bipartisan pieces of legislation are critical to addressing a conflicting patchwork that contributes to consumer confusion, discourages investment in recycling technologies, and ultimately affects the..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Although the Green Guides, which the FTC's Green Guides, which were last updated more than 12 years ago, have long served as the primary national framework for environmental marketing claims, those guides are just that, they're guidance, and in and of themselves don't really resolve the conflicting state patchwork that's currently going on. So with respect to the PAC Act, when a consumer picks up a product and tries to make a decision here in Washington, D.C., about whether or not it's..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Yes, thank you for the question. With respect to the PAC Act, it is seeking to solve a very simple problem, and that's to eliminate the uncertainty that consumers face when looking at a packaging item and deciding whether or not, or making a determination whether it's recyclable, reusable, or compostable. And having a simplified recycling process with standardized definitions is going to ultimately reduce the amount of packaging that goes into landfills, it's going to save consumers money, and..."
Testimony VEASEY, MARC A.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"better for consumers and recover more of the materials they're already trying to recycle? Yeah, no, absolutely. I know that consumers also want to know that when they put a product labeled as recycling or made with recycled content, that these claims are accurate and meaningful to them. How would establishing clear and standardized national definitions help consumer confusion and support innovation in recycling technologies and ultimately keep help consumer confusion and support innovation in..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"as well as reusable, and provide the certainty that third party certification comes along in the dumpster? Sir, short answer, yes. Non-mechanical recycling provides us a pathway to recycle those textiles and clothing items that are currently being important piece of legislation and your support of RMAA. But yes, minimizing consumer confusion is the least we can do. We can accomplish that through your bill with standardized definitions and then ensuring that consumers are protected with..."
Testimony WEBER, RANDY K. SR.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"staff who have been working diligently with our office for several months to finalize this language and provisions within the PAC Act as it stands today. Finally, I would like to thank Ameripen and the larger coalition of food manufacturers, packaging associations, and consumer advocacy organizations for their continued support of the PAC Act and its goal to create a consistent and voluntary federal framework for environmental claims on various products. I like to say suffice it to say we might..."
Testimony GUTHRIE, BRETT
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"Good morning and thank you for all attending today's markup of 16 bills touching on issues across the committee's jurisdiction. Today's markup includes the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Miller-Meeks, which establishes a pilot program at EPA to help build out recycling infrastructure in areas that currently lack household recycling. The bill also includes provisions to improve the collection of data regarding recycling rates and help identify areas..."
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"Like establishing an inventory, for example, of materials recovery facilities, or MRFs, in the U.S., and a report on market trends of recyclable material from those facilities, the bill also supports voluntary data sharing with States to develop a standardized metric of recyclable materials that have been successfully diverted from landfills. Overall, these data provisions are vital to tracking recycling and composting system performance, establishing effective goals, making informed..."
Testimony TONKO, PAUL
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"And congrats on that progress. And with that, Mr. Chair, I yield back. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I want to express my support for H.R. 2145, the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act, which was amended during the Environment Subcommittee markup to also incorporate the text of H.R. 4109, the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, led by Congressman Neguse. This bipartisan legislation directs EPA to establish a program to improve recycling accessibility in rural and underserved..."
Testimony TONKO, PAUL
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"identify the gaps in our recycling systems and areas where targeted investment will have the greatest impact. Plastic pollution is a global crisis and it requires ambitious solutions to meet the moment. We must work to educate our communities on recycling and harmful microplastics, improve collection and sorting of plastics, and incentivize design for recyclability to support responsible end markets. While this bill does not answer all those challenges, it is a good first"
Testimony MCCLELLAN, JENNIFER L.
Full Committee Markup of 16 Bills
house Energy and Commerce Committee · May 21, 2026
"Globally, recycling reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 700 million tons a year. However, in the United States, only 21% of recyclable materials are actually recycled. The rest are lost to landfills. In Virginia alone, 1.1 million tons of recyclable materials are lost to landfills. Millions of households, especially in rural communities, simply lack access to recycling infrastructure necessary to participate in this circular"
Testimony PALLONE, FRANK
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"minerals and reduces waste. And this represents a true win-win for our environment and for our critical minerals to go to landfills never to be recovered. And that has to change if we want to remain globally competitive. Domestic recycling of still viable critical minerals also helps mitigate supply chain vulnerabilities. This is so important considering the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign adversaries, namely China, for critical mineral refining, processing and even recycling, leaving..."
Testimony SPEAKER_07
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"but the jobs, the processing infrastructure, and the manufacturing feedstock that could supply U.S.'s local battery production. Enhanced material tracking, targeted incentives for domestic recycling, and a level regulatory playing field for domestic recyclers can reverse this dynamic, keeping critical minerals, jobs, and processing capacity here in the United States. The second barrier is how the federal government classifies black"
Testimony SPEAKER_17
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"prior to processing. That serves no environmental purpose. It merely adds costs, complicates logistics and increases transport and handling risks. Second, the rules classify critical mineral-rich black mass from shredding lithium-ion batteries as solid waste, even though lower-value shredded circuit boards are generally viewed as non-waste. That makes recovery, domestic recovery harder, and it puts the U.S. at a disadvantage to countries like China, which generally views black mass as a..."
Testimony SPEAKER_17
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"First, it addresses only the rule that pushes recyclers to store batteries offsite, and it does so in a way that paradoxically could leave onsite storage less regulated than offsite storage. Second, it does not address other barriers that I've discussed, including the isolation of black mass and non-hazardous recycling residues. Third, it would give EPA broad authority to issue new standards without requiring the agency to account for existing safety standards or the national goals for recovery..."
Testimony SPEAKER_00
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Congress can learn from? Thank you, Mr. Tonko. That is a great question. Yes, there are. Extended producer responsibility, as I mentioned before, is a program that really requires the recycling of these products by the producer. So, ensuring that they make it to the recycling facility, no matter the cost. In addition, ensuring that the minerals are actually recovered once they get to"
Testimony SPEAKER_00
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"manufactured to be more recyclable? Yes, that is an extremely good point. Holding the producer responsible for recycling ensures that they are incorporating the cost of recycling, so that means the disassembly, the shredding, the black mass processing, into the design of their batteries. This is important because the dismantling of the batteries is costly. All of the batteries from different cars to different manufacturers are designed differently, and that means that they have to take the..."
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"for five minutes for his questions. Thank you, Chairman. I appreciate today's conversation centered around increasing critical mineral circularity through recycling and recovery. That goal is especially important for batteries, which power our daily lives and which rely on mineral resources that we must recover and reuse as much as possible. Extended producer responsibility, or EPR, is one policy approach to address battery disposal challenges. In 2024, New Jersey passed a first-of-its-kind EPR..."
Testimony SPEAKER_00
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"And we can do that without creating exemptions in bedrock environmental policy. Thank you for the question. Yes, extended producer responsibility holds the producer responsible for ensuring those batteries are recycled and collected and those materials are recovered. And that's essential when the recycling isn't always profitable. These batteries are dispersed through the nation and they're also dangerous if they're not stored properly. So creating this kind of program really reduces the cost..."
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"also ensure a domestic supply. I appreciate that. And by ensuring that producers are responsible for managing EV batteries, EPR can help create a comprehensive and efficient system. Meanwhile, it can also increase, as you mentioned, critical feedstock for battery recyclers and ultimately bolster our domestic supply of critical minerals to meet our need for clean, affordable energy. Dr. Dunn, in your testimony, you mentioned the importance of high recovery rates in the lithium ion battery..."
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Trash to Treasure: Examining Legislation to Support Domestic Critical ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 24, 2026
"Dr. Dunn, in your testimony, you mentioned the importance of high recovery rates in the lithium ion battery recycling. We're going to just keep going. Making sure that we capture as much critical mineral content as possible. How do minimum mineral recovery rates help maximize environmental benefits of battery recycling? Thank you. It's a tongue twister for me. off of this. Can minimum mineral recovery rates paired with EPR help shield recycling companies from the volatility of global mineral..."
Testimony LATTA, ROBERT E.
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"H.R. 3978, the Nuclear Refuel Act, which I led with my colleague from California's 50th district, would clarify certain recycling facilities may be licensed under the same regulatory framework as other fuel cycle facilities. Recently, several of us visited a fuel recycling facility in northern France to have a better sense of the potential for this technology in the United States. This legislation will result in efficient permitting changes to extract additional energy out of used fuel. H.R...."
Testimony MS. MARIA KORSNICK
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"and there's ones that are being constructed now that are fast reactors. And in the recycling that you're talking about, it's an opportunity to use some of that recycled fuel and actually directly feed some of these fast reactors. It's a bit of a"
Testimony THE HONORABLE KATHRYN HUFF
Nuclear Permitting Reform: Legislation to Advance Efficient Licensing
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jun 9, 2026
"The current most mature recycling facility in the world, at Le Hague in France, manages to run through a capacity of recycling about 1,700 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel a year. So if you're doing the math, that means that that facility, if it were deployed at that scale here, wouldn't quite make it through our annual amount. So we are going to have to think really big with any recycling capacity, and even those strategies result in spent nuclear fuel, which also must be managed. So it is no..."
Testimony MILLER-MEEKS, MARIANNETTE
Subcommittee Markup of Seven Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"In addition to lingering uncertainty resulting from the drifting deadline for specific lithium-ion battery universal waste rules, the current universal waste rules also impose unnecessary costs and burdens on recyclers of lithium-ion batteries. This legislation would address one of those problems with the current regulations by allowing destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store the batteries prior to recycling them. Under the existing universal waste regulations,..."
Testimony MILLER-MEEKS, MARIANNETTE
Subcommittee Markup of Seven Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"which has wrestled with a lack of clarity and confusion surrounding current regulations. This amendment requires EPA to consider but not regulate on several issues as part of this process. The EPA shall consider making permanent the interim policy specified in the bill that allows destination facilities that recycle lithium-ion batteries to store those batteries prior to recycling. As I previously explained, the current regulations require lithium-ion battery recyclers to store batteries at a..."
Testimony MENENDEZ, ROBERT
Subcommittee Markup of Seven Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"This language would require the EPA to develop a rule for lithium-ion battery recycling that protects both health and the environment. The new rule will consider critical safety measures for battery recycling, providing much-needed support for landfills and recyclers that have been forced to address the fire hazards associated with lithium-ion batteries without any agency guidance. I believe that the EPA will take an important first step with this rule. The bill also creates parity between..."
Testimony PALMER, GARY J.
Subcommittee Markup of Seven Pieces of Legislation
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 14, 2026
"additional 20 of those critical minerals had an import reliance greater than 50% of apparent consumption. Adversaries such as China have already demonstrated their willingness to exploit this dependence. Recycling and recovery of critical minerals from sources already located in the United States can play an important role in breaking our dependence on foreign rivals and addressing this alarming vulnerability. Securing our domestic critical mineral supply chains will require deliberate federal..."
Testimony MR. SHIVAJI DESHMUKH
Oversight hearing titled “The Federal Reclamation Program’s Next Centu...
house Natural Resources Committee · May 20, 2026
"Thank you. Good morning, Chair Hageman, Ranking Members Hoyle and Huffman, and Congress Member Min for that kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today on Metropolitan's Pure Water Southern California Water Recycling Project and the benefit of the grant we've received from the Bureau of Reclamation's large-scale recycled water program. This federal grant program helps fund projects that increase the resilience of Western water supplies and ensure communities have water to..."
Testimony SPEAKER_02
Hearings to examine S.1034, to establish the Southwestern Power Admini...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Mar 17, 2026
"Senator Cortez-Masto's Large-Scale Water Recycling Reauthorization Act and Senator Daines' Fort Peck Water System Reauthorization Act extend authorities without the need for additional funding. Senator Padilla's More Water Act reauthorizes the Large-Scale Water Recycling Program as well as other recycling and environmental restoration programs. The More Water Act also creates a broad new conveyance program for federal and non-federal projects that expand Reclamation's authorities beyond what..."
Hearing Subcommittee Markup of Six Pieces of Legislation
house Energy Subcommittee · Jul 14, 2026 · Transcript
MATSUI, DORIS O. "this committee knows that my number one priority is nuclear waste. As a country, we cannot continue to develop nuclear power without a plan for the waste. It's not fair to communities like my district who are left to deal with the waste on their own for 30 years and who are forced to repeatedly sue the federal government to cover the cost of dealing with the waste. I support the Nuclear Refuel Act because recycling could play an important role in reducing nuclear waste, and this bill would make it easier to build a nuclear waste recycling facility. But it remains to be seen whether recycling..."
Hearing Oversight hearing titled “The Federal Reclamation Program’s Next Century”
house Water, Wildlife and Fisheries Subcommittee · May 20, 2026 · Transcript
MR. SHIVAJI DESHMUKH "Thank you. Good morning, Chair Hageman, Ranking Members Hoyle and Huffman, and Congress Member Min for that kind introduction. I appreciate the opportunity to testify today on Metropolitan's Pure Water Southern California Water Recycling Project and the benefit of the grant we've received from the Bureau of Reclamation's large-scale recycled water program. This federal grant program helps fund projects that increase the resilience of Western water supplies and ensure communities have water to meet their needs today and for the next 100 years. We serve drinking water to approximately 19..."
Hearing Hearings to examine empowering Main Street by unlocking access to capital.
senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee · Aug 6, 2026 · Transcript
MR. MIKE FLOOD "The ability to know that you can is not that high, or how to do it. Of course, making sure we have the money to invest is problem number one, but what we can talk about is creating that access. So I think there's three aspects. One, financial literacy is exceptionally important. Two, I think it's really important to see what the SEC Small Business Advisory Council is doing. It is putting out a lot of information about not only how can we help small businesses in state and local areas, but how can we help investors get involved. Three, I think you have a bill on crowdfunding. It's a small way..."
Hearing Hearings to examine S.3573, to amend the Aamodt Litigation Settlement Act to modify a provision relating to the extension of certain dates for the...
senate Indian Affairs Committee · Jul 29, 2026 · Transcript
THE HONORABLE JEFF GRUBBE "We want to look at ways to help the water agencies recoup, retain some of the stormwater issues. There's ways to capture it, recycling water waste to put back into the aquifer. We're looking at ways to"
Hearing H.R. 9772, H.R. 9771, H.R. 9721, and H.R. 9722
house Ways and Means Committee · Jul 22, 2026 · Transcript
NEAL, RICHARD E. "This is the third markup this committee has held in a month, but not a single effort that will bring relief to families struggling under the weight of higher health care costs, pain at the pump, or certainly rising grocery prices. Instead, the majority is using this limited time to recycle a lot of old bills, attacking charities and unions. Every moment they spend chasing manufactured problems and targeting the little guy is yet another moment when we're not focused on families back home who are still struggling with everyday costs and"
Testimony GUTHRIE, BRETT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"to trust. Our existing consumer protection laws, including the Federal Trade Commission Act and the Consumer Product Safety Act, are often up for meeting these challenges. However, when there are clear gaps in the existing framework, Congress has a responsibility to examine where the targeted legislative action is needed to protect American families from scams, American families from scams, unfair practices, and dangerous products. The bills before us today address gaps in our consumer..."
Testimony JOHN BREYAULT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"sweepingly preempts strong state packaging laws like California's truth in labeling law without creating an effective federal standard. And H.R. 7502, the Recycled Materials Attribution Act, legitimizes so-called mass balance accounting, a corporate trick that lets companies claim a bottle has 30 percent recycled content even when the actual item on the shelf may contain only zero. a corporate trick that lets companies claim a bottle has 30 percent recycled content even when the actual item on..."
Testimony BILIRAKIS, GUS M.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Can you discuss these trends and outline how the American Financial Services Association and its members protect seniors from fraud and scams? All right. Thanks very much. I have a little more time left. Mr. Hewitt, businesses that manufacture and sell products nationwide are currently navigating different and sometimes conflicting state laws and standards governing recycled content claims. How does that patchwork affect investment, innovation, and the ability of companies to increase their use..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. Currently, the patchworks that exist across the United States are providing uncertainty for businesses and consumers alike. With respects to consumers, that uncertainty prevents them from recycling. With respects to businesses, they have to navigate a multitude of different recycling rules requirements with respects to the marketing claims that correspond with them across the With respects to businesses, they have to navigate a multitude of different..."
Testimony FULCHER, RUSS
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"I can tell you that you'll have, and you do have, a lot of opposition in the producer world, and it's exactly why. It's incredibly expensive, and it's difficult to comply for one state. Mr. Hewitt, you represent the Consumer Brands Association Recycling Leadership Council, so you should be pretty familiar with recycling. In your opinion, does SB54, is that well intended or infeasible and cost prohibitive? so you should be pretty familiar with recycling. In your opinion, does SB54, is that well..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Thank you very much for the question. First and foremost, the PAC Act, as well as the Recycled Materials Attribution Act, does two distinct things. One, it provides standardized definitions along with the third-party verification to ensure consumer protection, whether it's the PAC Act or RMAA. Those are two items that they both have in common, Mr."
Testimony LEE, LAUREL M.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"I think many people associate counterfeit products as an intellectual property problem, and they think about the manufacturer as the person that's the injured party. But when you're seeing things like skin care, medicines, other things, clearly there can be direct physical harm to consumers. Isn't that right? And Mr. Hewitt, I would like to refer you to the PAC Act and discuss the PAC Act briefly. From the perspective of companies that serve consumers nationwide, what challenges does the..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"the current levels of 19% up to 19 to 23%. So more than doubling them by making the investments and expanding our existing advanced and non-mechanical recycling facilities. So we look forward to the opportunities that these two pieces of legislation present for us. more plastic out of landfills? Yes, thank you for the question. We have nearly 10,000 different recycling jurisdictions across the United States. You can only imagine how many different instructions consumers are faced with, whether..."
Testimony WEBER, RANDY K. SR.
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"is the patchwork of state regulations. And they vary very widely depending on where you are. And of course, we're talking about California's lawmakers who enacted SB 343, which for the life of me, I don't understand, prohibits the use of the chasing arrows symbol. You know, I used to have that in cowboys and, you know, Indians, country westerns back in the day. I guess they all had arrow symbols. That's a joke. Y'all can laugh at that. But at any rate, other than your recyclability claim,..."
Testimony JOHN HEWITT
Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing ...
house Energy and Commerce Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"Companies must navigate these conflicting definitions. Consumers must navigate these conflicting definitions across, like I said earlier, nearly 10,000 different, you know, recycling jurisdictions. And so having this certainty with standardized definitions, with third-party accounting, as well as third-party verification that goes along with it is ultimately good for consumers. It's good for businesses. I think it is, too. And I think, and I've got"
Testimony MR. MIKE FLOOD
Hearings to examine empowering Main Street by unlocking access to capi...
senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee · Aug 6, 2026
"The ability to know that you can is not that high, or how to do it. Of course, making sure we have the money to invest is problem number one, but what we can talk about is creating that access. So I think there's three aspects. One, financial literacy is exceptionally important. Two, I think it's really important to see what the SEC Small Business Advisory Council is doing. It is putting out a lot of information about not only how can we help small businesses in state and local areas, but how..."
Testimony PADILLA, ALEX
Business meeting to consider S.365 and H.R.1729, bills to amend the Jo...
senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee · Jul 29, 2026
"And because of these reasons I share with my Democratic colleagues, I was against your bill for today, but look forward to working with you, with the Chairman, with all of our colleagues to strike a balanced approach to conservation in this committee. And I'm glad you were still here to hear me provide these remarks for the record. Mr. Chairman, I also do want to thank you for including on today's markup my More Water Act and other bills to address drought across the West. The More Water Act is..."
Testimony THE HONORABLE JEFF GRUBBE
Hearings to examine S.3573, to amend the Aamodt Litigation Settlement ...
senate Indian Affairs Committee · Jul 29, 2026
"We want to look at ways to help the water agencies recoup, retain some of the stormwater issues. There's ways to capture it, recycling water waste to put back into the aquifer. We're looking at ways to"
Testimony NEAL, RICHARD E.
H.R. 9772, H.R. 9771, H.R. 9721, and H.R. 9722
house Ways and Means Committee · Jul 22, 2026
"This is the third markup this committee has held in a month, but not a single effort that will bring relief to families struggling under the weight of higher health care costs, pain at the pump, or certainly rising grocery prices. Instead, the majority is using this limited time to recycle a lot of old bills, attacking charities and unions. Every moment they spend chasing manufactured problems and targeting the little guy is yet another moment when we're not focused on families back home who..."