I 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1580 

To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 

award grants for electronic waste reduction research, development, and 

demonstration projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 18, 2009 

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. 

BAIRD, Mr. CARNAHAN, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. 

WU, and Mr. LUJA ́N) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Science and Technology 

A BILL 

To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for electronic waste reduction research, development, and demonstration projects, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Waste Re5 search and Development Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) The volume of obsolete, broken, stored, or 

2 discarded electronic devices, known as electronic 

3 waste, is substantial and will continue to grow. The 

4 Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 

5 over 2 billion computers, televisions, cell phones, 

6 printers, gaming systems, and other devices have 

7 been sold since 1980, generating 2 million tons of 

8 unwanted electronic devices in 2005 alone. 

9 (2) Electronic waste can be refurbished or recy10 cled to recover and conserve valuable materials, such 

11 as gold, copper, and platinum. However, according 

12 to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 15 to 

13 20 percent of household generated electronic waste 

14 reaches recyclers. 

15 (3) The electronic waste recycling industry in 

16 the United States is growing; however, challenges re17 main for the recycling of electronic waste generated 

18 by households and other small generators. Collection 

19 of the electronic waste is expensive, and separation 

20 and proper disposal of some of the materials recov21 ered, like lead from cathode-ray tube televisions, is 

22 costly. 

23 (4) The export of electronic waste to developing 

24 countries also presents a serious challenge. The 

25 crude methods of many of the recycling operations 


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1 in these countries can expose workers to harmful 

2 chemicals, jeopardizing their health and polluting 

3 the environment. 

4 (5) Some of the challenges to increasing the 

5 volume of electronic waste that is recycled can be 

6 addressed by improving the logistics and technology 

7 of the collection and recycling process, designing 

8 electronic devices to avoid the use of hazardous ma9 terials and to be more easily recycled, and encour10 aging the use of recycled materials in more applica11 tions. 

12 (6) The public currently does not take full ad13 vantage of existing electronic waste recycling oppor14 tunities. Studying factors that influence behavior 

15 and educating consumers about electronic waste 

16 could help communities and private industry develop 

17 recycling programs that draw more participation. 

18 (7) The development of tools and technologies 

19 to increase the lifespan of electronic devices and to 

20 promote their safe re-use would decrease the impact 

21 of the production and disposal of electronic devices 

22 on the environment. 

23 (8) Accurately assessing the environmental im24 pacts of the production of electronic devices and the 

25 recycling of electronic waste is a complex task. Data, 


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1 tools, and methods to better quantify these impacts 

2 would help policymakers and others determine the 

3 best end-of-life management options for electronic 

4 devices. 

5 SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC WASTE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, DE6 VELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION 

7 PROJECTS. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall award 

9 multiyear grants to consortia to conduct research to create 

10 innovative and practical approaches to reduce the volume 

11 and manage the environmental impacts of electronic waste 

12 and, through the conduct of this research, to contribute 

13 to the professional development of scientists, engineers, 

14 and technicians in the fields of electronic device manufac15 turing, design, refurbishing, and recycling. The grants 

16 awarded under this section shall support research to— 

17 (1) increase the efficiency of and improve elec18 tronic waste collection and recycling; 

19 (2) expand the uses and applications for mate20 rials recovered from electronic waste; 

21 (3) develop and demonstrate environmentally 

22 friendly alternatives to the use of hazardous and po23 tentially hazardous materials in electronic devices 

24 and the production of such devices; 


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1 (4) develop methods to identify, separate, and 

2 remove hazardous and potentially hazardous mate3 rials from electronic waste and to re-use, recycle, or 

4 dispose of such materials in a safe manner; 

5 (5) reconsider product design and assembly to 

6 facilitate and improve refurbishment, re-use, and re7 cycling of electronic devices; 

8 (6) conduct lifecycle analyses of electronic de9 vices, including developing tools and methods to as10 sess the environmental impacts of the production, 

11 use, and end-of-life management of electronic devices 

12 and electronic device components; 

13 (7) develop product design, tools, and tech14 niques to extend the lifecycle of electronic devices, 

15 including methods to promote their upgrade and 

16 safe re-use; and 

17 (8) develop strategies to increase awareness, 

18 consumer acceptance, and the practice of responsible 

19 recycling and re-use for electronic waste. 

20 (b) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants shall be 

21 awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi22 tive basis. 

23 (c) APPLICATIONS.—A consortium shall submit an 

24 application for a grant under this section to the Adminis25 trator at such time, in such manner, and containing such 


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1 information and assurances as the Administrator may re2 quire. The application shall include a description of— 

3 (1) the research project that will be undertaken 

4 by the consortium and the contributions of each of 

5 the participating entities, including the for-profit en6 tity; 

7 (2) the applicability of the project to reduce 

8 electronic waste in the electronic device design, man9 ufacturing, refurbishing, or recycling industries; 

10 (3) the potential for and feasibility of incor11 porating the research results into industry practice; 

12 and 

13 (4) how the project will promote collaboration 

14 among scientists and engineers from different dis15 ciplines, such as electrical engineering, materials 

16 science, and social science. 

17 (d) DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS.—Re18 search results shall be made publicly available through— 

19 (1) development of best practices or training 

20 materials for use in the electronics manufacturing, 

21 design, refurbishing, or recycling industries; 

22 (2) dissemination at conferences affiliated with 

23 such industries; 

24 (3) demonstration projects; and 


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1 (4) educational materials for the public pro2 duced in conjunction with State governments, local 

3 governments, or nonprofit organizations on problems 

4 and solutions related to electronic waste. 

5 (e) FUNDING CONTRIBUTION FROM FOR-PROFIT

6 MEMBER OF CONSORTIUM.—The for-profit entity partici7 pating in the consortium shall contribute at least 10 per8 cent of the total research project cost, either directly or 

9 with in-kind contributions. 

10 (f) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Within 2 years after the 

11 date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there12 after, the Administrator shall transmit a report to Con13 gress that provides a list of the grants awarded under this 

14 section, the entities participating in each consortium re15 ceiving a grant, a description of the research projects car16 ried out in whole or in part with funds made available 

17 under such grant, and the results of such projects. 

18 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

19 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

20 carry out this section: 

21 (1) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

22 (2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

23 (3) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 


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1 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORT ON 

2 ELECTRONIC WASTE. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to better recognize gaps 

4 and opportunities in the research and training programs 

5 established in this Act, the Administrator shall enter into 

6 an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences 

7 for a report, to be transmitted to Congress not later than 

8 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, on— 

9 (1) opportunities for and barriers to— 

10 (A) reducing the volume of electronic 

11 waste, specifically addressing— 

12 (i) recycling or safe disposal of elec13 tronic waste and low value materials recov14 ered from such waste; 

15 (ii) designing electronic devices to fa16 cilitate re-use and recycling; and 

17 (iii) the re-use of electronic devices; 

18 and 

19 (B) making electronic devices safer and 

20 more environmentally friendly, specifically ad21 dressing reducing the use of hazardous mate22 rials and potentially hazardous materials in 

23 electronic devices; 

24 (2) the risks posed by disposal of electronic 

25 waste; and 


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1 (3) the current status of research and training 

2 programs to promote the environmental design of 

3 electronic devices to reduce electronic waste. 

4 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report under sub5 section (a) shall identify gaps in the current research and 

6 training programs in addressing the opportunities, bar7 riers, and risks relating to electronic waste, and the report 

8 shall recommend areas where additional research and de9 velopment resources are needed to reduce the impact of 

10 electronic waste on the environment. 

11 SEC. 5. ENGINEERING CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 

12 GRANTS. 

13 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Administrator, in con14 sultation with the National Science Foundation, shall 

15 award grants to institutions of higher education to develop 

16 curricula that incorporates the principles of environmental 

17 design into the development of electronic devices— 

18 (1) for the training of electrical, mechanical, in19 dustrial, manufacturing, materials, and software en20 gineers and other students at the undergraduate and 

21 graduate level; and 

22 (2) to support the continuing education of pro23 fessionals in the electronic device manufacturing, de24 sign, refurbishing, or recycling industries. 


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1 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The term ‘‘institution of 

2 higher education’’, as such term is used with respect to 

3 eligibility to receive a grant under subsection (a)(2), in4 cludes any institution of higher education under section 

5 101(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

6 1001(b)). 

7 (c) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants shall be 

8 awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi9 tive basis. 

10 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this sec11 tion shall be used for activities that enhance the ability 

12 of an institution of higher education to broaden the under13 graduate and graduate-level engineering curriculum or 

14 professional continuing education curriculum to include 

15 environmental engineering design principles and consider16 ation of product life cycles related to electronic devices and 

17 the reduction of electronic waste. Activities may include— 

18 (1) developing and revising curriculum to in19 clude multidisciplinary elements; 

20 (2) creating research and internship opportuni21 ties for students through partnerships with industry, 

22 nonprofit organizations, or government agencies; 

23 (3) creating and establishing certificate pro24 grams; and 


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1 (4) developing curricula for short courses and 

2 continuing education for professionals in the envi3 ronmental design of electronic devices to reduce elec4 tronic waste. 

5 (e) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher edu6 cation seeking a grant under this section shall submit an 

7 application to the Administrator at such time, in such 

8 manner, and with such information and assurances as the 

9 Administrator may require. 

10 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

11 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

12 carry out this section: 

13 (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

14 (2) $5,150,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

15 (3) $5,304,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

16 SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE MA17 TERIALS PHYSICAL PROPERTY DATABASE. 

18 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish an 

19 initiative to develop a comprehensive physical property 

20 database for environmentally friendly alternative materials 

21 for use in electronic devices. 

22 (b) PRIORITIES.—The Director, working with the 

23 electronic device design, manufacturing, or recycling in24 dustries, shall develop a strategic plan to establish priorVerDate Nov 24 2008 00:11 Mar 19, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1580.IH H1580

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1 ities and the physical property characterization require2 ments for the database described in subsection (a). 

3 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

5 carry out this section: 

6 (1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

7 (2) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

8 (3) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

9 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 

10 For the purposes of this Act: 

11 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis12 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ13 mental Protection Agency. 

14 (2) CONSORTIUM.—The term ‘‘consortium’’ 

15 means a grant applicant or recipient under section 

16 3(a) that includes— 

17 (A) at least one institution of higher edu18 cation, nonprofit research institution, or govern19 ment laboratory; and 

20 (B) at least one for-profit entity, including 

21 a manufacturer, designer, refurbisher, or recy22 cler of electronic devices or the components of 

23 such devices. 


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1 (3) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

2 the Director of the National Institute of Standards 

3 and Technology. 

4 (4) ELECTRONIC WASTE.—The term ‘‘electronic 

5 waste’’ means obsolete, broken, stored, or discarded 

6 electronic devices, including computers, computer 

7 monitors, televisions, laptops, printers, cellular 

8 phones, copiers, fax machines, stereos, video gaming 

9 systems, and the components of such devices. 

10 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

11 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’ has the 

12 meaning given such term in section 101(a) of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)). 

Æ 


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