II 

Calendar No. 351 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1397 

[Report No. 111–168] 

To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 

award grants for electronic device recycling research, development, and 

demonstration projects, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JULY 6, 2009 

Ms. KLOBUCHAR (for herself, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. DURBIN, 

Ms. LANDRIEU, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mrs. FEINSTEIN) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

APRIL 19, 2010 

Reported by Mr. REID (for Mrs. BOXER), with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To authorize the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for electronic device recycling 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Device Re3 cycling Research and Development Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The volume of electronic devices in the 

7 United States is substantial and will continue to 

8 grow. The Environmental Protection Agency esti9 mates that over 2 billion computers, televisions, 

10 wireless devices, printers, gaming systems, and other 

11 devices have been sold since 1980, generating 2 mil12 lion tons of unwanted electronic devices in 2005 

13 alone. 

14 (2) Electronic devices can be recycled or refur15 bished to recover and conserve valuable materials, 

16 such as gold, copper, and platinum. However, ac17 cording to the Environmental Protection Agency, 

18 only 15 to 20 percent of electronic devices discarded 

19 from households reach recyclers. 

20 (3) The electronic device recycling industry in 

21 the United States is growing; however, challenges re22 main for the recycling of electronic devices by house23 holds and other small generators. Collection of such 

24 electronic devices is expensive, and separation and 

25 proper recycling of some of the materials recovered, 

26 like lead from cathode-ray tube televisions, is costly. 


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1 (4) The export of unwanted electronic devices 

2 to developing countries also presents a serious chal3 lenge. The crude methods of many of the recycling 

4 operations in these countries can expose workers to 

5 harmful chemicals, jeopardizing their health and pol6 luting the environment. 

7 (5) Some of the challenges to increasing the 

8 recyclability of electronic devices can be addressed 

9 by improving the logistics and technology of the col10 lection and recycling process, designing electronic 

11 devices to avoid the use of hazardous materials and 

12 to be more easily recycled, and encouraging the use 

13 of recycled materials in more applications. 

14 (6) The public currently does not take full ad15 vantage of existing electronic device recycling oppor16 tunities. Studying factors that influence behavior 

17 and educating consumers about responsible elec18 tronic device recycling could help communities and 

19 private industry develop recycling programs that 

20 draw more participation. 

21 (7) The development of tools and technologies 

22 to increase the lifespan of electronic devices and to 

23 promote their safe reuse would decrease the impact 

24 of the production of electronic devices on the enviVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 ronment and likely increase the recyclability of such 

2 devices. 

3 (8) Accurately assessing the environmental im4 pacts of the production of electronic devices and the 

5 recycling of such devices is a complex task. Data, 

6 tools, and methods to better quantify these impacts 

7 would help policymakers and others determine the 

8 best end-of-life management options for electronic 

9 devices. 

10 SEC. 3. ELECTRONIC DEVICE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, 

11 DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION 

12 PROJECTS. 

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

14 multiyear grants to consortia to conduct research to create 

15 innovative and practical approaches to manage the envi16 ronmental impacts of electronic devices and, through the 

17 conduct of this research, to contribute to the professional 

18 development of scientists, engineers, and technicians in 

19 the fields of electronic device manufacturing, design, re20 furbishing, and recycling. The grants awarded under this 

21 section shall support research to— 

22 (1) increase the efficiency of and improve elec23 tronic device collection and recycling; 

24 (2) expand the uses and applications for mate25 rials recovered from electronic devices; 


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1 (3) develop and demonstrate environmentally 

2 friendly alternatives to the use of hazardous and po3 tentially hazardous materials in electronic devices 

4 and the production of such devices; 

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

6 remove hazardous and potentially hazardous mate7 rials from electronic devices and to reuse, recycle, or 

8 dispose of such materials in a safe manner; 

9 (5) reconsider product design and assembly to 

10 facilitate and improve refurbishment, reuse, and re11 cycling of electronic devices, including an emphasis 

12 on design for recycling; 

13 (6) conduct lifecycle analyses of electronic de14 vices, including developing tools and methods to as15 sess the environmental impacts of the production, 

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

17 and electronic device components; 

18 (7) develop product design, tools, and tech19 niques to extend the lifecycle of electronic devices, 

20 including methods to promote their upgrade and 

21 safe reuse; and 

22 (8) identify the social, behavioral, and economic 

23 barriers to recycling and reuse for electronic devices 

24 and develop strategies to increase awareness, conVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 sumer acceptance, and the practice of responsible re2 cycling and reuse for such devices. 

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

4 awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi5 tive basis. 

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

7 application for a grant under this section to the Adminis8 trator at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

9 information and assurances as the Administrator may re10 quire. The application shall include a description of— 

11 (1) the research project that will be undertaken 

12 by the consortium and the contributions of each of 

13 the participating entities, including the for-profit en14 tity; 

15 (2) the applicability of the project to reduce im16 pediments to electronic device recycling in the elec17 tronic device design, manufacturing, refurbishing, or 

18 recycling industries; 

19 (3) the potential for and feasibility of incor20 porating the research results into industry practice; 

21 and 

22 (4) how the project will promote collaboration 

23 among scientists and engineers from different dis24 ciplines, such as electrical engineering, materials 

25 science, and social science. 


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1 (d) DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS.—Re2 search results shall be made publicly available through— 

3 (1) development of best practices or training 

4 materials for use in the electronic device manufac5 turing, design, refurbishing, or recycling industries; 

6 (2) dissemination at conferences affiliated with 

7 such industries; 

8 (3) publication on the Environmental Protection 

9 Agency’s Web site; 

10 (4) demonstration projects; or 

11 (5) educational materials for the public pro12 duced in conjunction with State governments, local 

13 governments, or nonprofit organizations on problems 

14 and solutions related to electronic device recycling 

15 and reuse. 

16 (e) FUNDING CONTRIBUTION FROM FOR-PROFIT

17 MEMBER OF CONSORTIUM.—The for-profit entity partici18 pating in the consortium shall contribute at least 10 per19 cent of the total research project cost, either directly or 

20 with in-kind contributions. 

21 (f) PROTECTION OF PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.— 

22 The Administrator— 

23 (1) shall not disclose any proprietary informa24 tion or trade secrets provided by any person or enti25 ty pursuant to this section; 


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1 (2) shall ensure that, as a condition of receipt 

2 of a grant under this section, each member of the 

3 consortium has in place proper protections to main4 tain proprietary information or trade secrets contrib5 uted by other members of the consortium; and 

6 (3) if any member of the consortium breaches 

7 the conditions under paragraph (2) or discloses pro8 prietary information or trade secrets, may require 

9 the return of any funds received under this section 

10 by such member. 

11 (g) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Within 2 years after the 

12 date of enactment of this Act, and every 2 years there13 after, the Administrator shall transmit a report to Con14 gress that provides— 

15 (1) a list of the grants awarded under this sec16 tion; 

17 (2) the entities participating in each consortium 

18 receiving a grant; 

19 (3) a description of the research projects car20 ried out in whole or in part with funds made avail21 able under such a grant; 

22 (4) the results of such research projects; and 

23 (5) a description of the rate and success of the 

24 adoption or integration of such research results into 


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1 the manufacturing processes, management practices, 

2 and products of the electronics industry. 

3 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

4 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

5 carry out this section: 

6 (1) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

7 (2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

8 (3) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

9 SEC. 4. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORT ON 

10 ELECTRONIC DEVICE RECYCLING. 

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

12 and opportunities in the research and training programs 

13 established in this Act, the Administrator shall enter into 

14 an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences 

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

16 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, on— 

17 (1) opportunities for and barriers to— 

18 (A) increasing the recyclability of elec19 tronic devices, specifically addressing— 

20 (i) recycling or safe disposal of elec21 tronic devices and low value materials re22 covered from such devices; 

23 (ii) designing electronic devices to fa24 cilitate reuse and recycling; and 


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1 (iii) the reuse of electronic devices; 

2 and 

3 (B) making electronic devices safer and 

4 more environmentally friendly, specifically ad5 dressing reducing the use of hazardous mate6 rials and potentially hazardous materials in 

7 electronic devices; 

8 (2) the environmental and human health risks 

9 posed by the storage, transport, recycling, and dis10 posal of unwanted electronic devices; 

11 (3) the current status of research and training 

12 programs to promote the environmental design of 

13 electronic devices to increase the recyclability of such 

14 devices; and 

15 (4) any regulatory or statutory barriers that 

16 may prevent the adoption or implementation of best 

17 management practices or technological innovations 

18 that may arise from the research and training pro19 grams established in this Act. 

20 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report under sub21 section (a) shall identify gaps in the current research and 

22 training programs in addressing the opportunities, bar23 riers, and risks relating to electronic device recycling, and 

24 the report shall recommend areas where additional re25 search and development resources are needed to reduce 


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1 the impact of unwanted electronic devices on the environ2 ment. 

3 SEC. 5. ENGINEERING CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 

4 GRANTS. 

5 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Administrator, in con6 sultation with the Director of the National Science Foun7 dation, shall award grants to institutions of higher edu8 cation to develop curricula that incorporates the principles 

9 of environmental design into the development of electronic 

10 devices— 

11 (1) for the training of electrical, mechanical, in12 dustrial, manufacturing, materials, and software en13 gineers and other students at the undergraduate and 

14 graduate level; and 

15 (2) to support the continuing education of pro16 fessionals in the electronic device manufacturing, de17 sign, refurbishing, or recycling industries. 

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

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

20 eligibility to receive a grant under subsection (a)(2), in21 cludes any institution of higher education under section 

22 101(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

23 1001(b)). 

24 (c) OUTREACH TO MINORITY SERVING INSTITU25 TIONS.—The Administrator shall conduct outreach to miVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 nority serving institutions for the purposes of providing 

2 information on the grants available under this section and 

3 how to apply for such grants. 

4 (d) MERIT REVIEW; COMPETITION.—Grants shall be 

5 awarded under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi6 tive basis. 

7 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—Grants awarded under this sec8 tion shall be used for activities that enhance the ability 

9 of an institution of higher education to broaden the under10 graduate and graduate-level engineering curriculum or 

11 professional continuing education curriculum to include 

12 environmental engineering design principles and consider13 ation of product lifecycles related to electronic devices and 

14 increasing the recyclability of such devices. Activities may 

15 include— 

16 (1) developing and revising curriculum to in17 clude multidisciplinary elements; 

18 (2) creating research and internship opportuni19 ties for students through partnerships with industry, 

20 nonprofit organizations, or government agencies; 

21 (3) creating and establishing certificate pro22 grams; and 

23 (4) developing curricula for short courses and 

24 continuing education for professionals in the enviVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 ronmental design of electronic devices to increase the 

2 recyclability of such devices. 

3 (f) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher education 

4 seeking a grant under this section shall submit an applica5 tion to the Administrator at such time, in such manner, 

6 and with such information and assurances as the Adminis7 trator may require. 

8 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

9 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

10 carry out this section: 

11 (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

12 (2) $5,150,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

13 (3) $5,304,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

14 SEC. 6. ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVE MA15 TERIALS PHYSICAL PROPERTY DATABASE. 

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

17 initiative to develop a comprehensive physical property 

18 database for environmentally friendly alternative materials 

19 for use in electronic devices. 

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

21 electronic device design, manufacturing, or recycling in22 dustries, shall develop a strategic plan to establish prior23 ities and the physical property characterization require24 ments for the database described in subsection (a). 


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1 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

2 are authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to 

3 carry out this section: 

4 (1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2010. 

5 (2) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2011. 

6 (3) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2012. 

7 SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS. 

8 For the purposes of this Act: 

9 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis10 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ11 mental Protection Agency. 

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

13 means a grant applicant or recipient under section 

14 3(a) that includes— 

15 (A) at least one institution of higher edu16 cation, nonprofit research institution, or govern17 ment laboratory; and 

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

19 a manufacturer, designer, refurbisher, or recy20 cler of electronic devices or the components of 

21 such devices. 

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

23 the Director of the National Institute of Standards 

24 and Technology. 


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1 (4) ELECTRONIC DEVICE.—The term ‘‘elec2 tronic device’’ may include computers, computer 

3 monitors, televisions, laptops, printers, wireless de4 vices, copiers, fax machines, stereos, video gaming 

5 systems, and the components of such devices. 

6 (5) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

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

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

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

10 (6) MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

11 term ‘‘minority serving institution’’ means an insti12 tution that is an eligible institution under section 

13 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

14 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 

15 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

16 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Electronic Device Recy17 cling Research and Development Act’’. 

18 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

19 Congress finds that— 

20 (1) the volume of electronic devices in the United 

21 States is substantial and will continue to increase; 

22 (2) the Environmental Protection Agency esti23 mates that more than 2,000,000,000 computers, tele24 visions, wireless devices, printers, gaming systems, 

25 and other devices have been sold since 1980, generVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 ating 2,000,000 tons of unwanted electronic devices in 

2 2005 alone; 

3 (3) electronic devices can be recycled or refur4 bished to recover and conserve valuable materials, 

5 such as gold, copper, and platinum, but, according to 

6 the Environmental Protection Agency, only 15 to 20 

7 percent of electronic devices discarded from households 

8 reach recyclers; 

9 (4) the electronic device recycling industry in the 

10 United States is growing, but challenges remain for 

11 the recycling of electronic devices by households and 

12 other small generators; 

13 (5) collection of those electronic devices is expen14 sive, and separation and proper recycling of some of 

15 the materials recovered, such as lead from cathode-ray 

16 tube televisions, is costly; 

17 (6) the export of unwanted electronic devices to 

18 developing countries also presents a serious challenge; 

19 (7) the crude methods of many of the recycling 

20 operations in those countries can expose workers to 

21 harmful chemicals, jeopardizing the health of the 

22 workers and polluting the environment; 

23 (8) some of the challenges to increasing the 

24 recyclability of electronic devices can be addressed 

25 by— 


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1 (A) improving the logistics and technology 

2 of the collection and recycling process; 

3 (B) designing electronic devices to avoid the 

4 use of hazardous materials and to be more easily 

5 recycled; and 

6 (C) encouraging the use of recycled mate7 rials in more applications; 

8 (9) the public currently does not take full advan9 tage of existing electronic device recycling opportuni10 ties; 

11 (10) studying factors that influence behavior and 

12 educating consumers about responsible electronic de13 vice recycling could help communities and private in14 dustry develop recycling programs that draw more 

15 participation; 

16 (11) the development of tools and technologies to 

17 increase the lifespan of electronic devices and to pro18 mote the safe reuse of those devices would decrease the 

19 impact of the production of electronic devices on the 

20 environment and likely increase the recyclability of 

21 those devices; 

22 (12) accurately assessing the environmental im23 pacts of the production of electronic devices and the 

24 recycling of those devices is a complex task; and 


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1 (13) data, tools, and methods to better quantify 

2 those impacts would help policymakers and others de3 termine the best end-of-life management options for 

4 electronic devices. 

5 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

6 In this Act: 

7 (1) ACADEMY.—The term ‘‘Academy’’ means the 

8 National Academy of Sciences. 

9 (2) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis10 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ11 mental Protection Agency. 

12 (3) CONSORTIUM.—The term ‘‘consortium’’ 

13 means a grant applicant or recipient under section 

14 4(a) that includes— 

15 (A) at least 1 institution of higher edu16 cation, nonprofit research institution, or govern17 ment laboratory; and 

18 (B) at least 1 for-profit entity, including a 

19 manufacturer, designer, refurbisher, or recycler 

20 of electronic devices or the components of those 

21 devices. 

22 (4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the 

23 Director of the National Institute of Standards and 

24 Technology. 


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1 (5) ELECTRONIC DEVICE.—The term ‘‘electronic 

2 device’’ includes computers, computer monitors, tele3 visions, laptops, printers, wireless devices, copiers, fax 

4 machines, stereos, video gaming systems, and the com5 ponents of those devices. 

6 (6) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.—The 

7 term ‘‘institution of higher education’’— 

8 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec9 tion 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

10 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)); and 

11 (B) for the purpose of section 7(a)(2), in12 cludes any institution of higher education under 

13 section 101(b) of that Act (20 U.S.C. 1001(b)). 

14 (7) MINORITY SERVING INSTITUTION.—The term 

15 ‘‘minority serving institution’’ means an institution 

16 that is an eligible institution under section 371(a) of 

17 the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

18 1067q(a)). 

19 SEC. 4. ELECTRONIC DEVICE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, DE20 VELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION 

21 PROJECTS GRANT PROGRAM. 

22 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator shall pro24 vide multiyear grants to consortia— 


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1 (A) to conduct research to create innovative 

2 and practical approaches to manage the environ3 mental impacts of electronic devices; and 

4 (B) through the conduct of that research, to 

5 contribute to the professional development of sci6 entists, engineers, and technicians in the fields of 

7 electronic device manufacturing, design, refur8 bishing, and recycling. 

9 (2) TYPES OF RESEARCH.—The grants provided 

10 under this section shall support research— 

11 (A) to provide data and information on— 

12 (i) effects, human exposures, environ13 mental releases, and recycling and disposal 

14 processes; and 

15 (ii) changes to manufacturing and 

16 other processes, such as refurbishing and re17 cycling, to reduce— 

18 (I) adverse human health and en19 vironmental impacts; and 

20 (II) the volume of unwanted elec21 tronic devices; 

22 (B) to increase the efficiency of and im23 prove electronic device collection and recycling; 

24 (C) to expand the uses and applications for 

25 materials recovered from electronic devices; 


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1 (D) to develop and demonstrate environ2 mentally preferable alternatives to the use of 

3 toxic, hazardous, potentially hazardous, or scarce 

4 materials in electronic devices and the produc5 tion of those devices; 

6 (E) to develop methods to identify, separate, 

7 and remove hazardous and potentially hazardous 

8 materials from electronic devices and to reuse, 

9 recycle, or dispose of those materials in a safe 

10 manner; 

11 (F) to modify product design and assembly 

12 to facilitate and improve refurbishment, reuse, 

13 and recycling of electronic devices, including an 

14 emphasis on design for recycling; 

15 (G) to conduct lifecycle analyses of elec16 tronic devices, including developing tools and 

17 methods to assess the environmental impacts of 

18 the production, use, and end-of-life management 

19 of electronic devices and electronic device compo20 nents; 

21 (H) to develop product design, tools, and 

22 techniques to extend the lifecycle of electronic de23 vices, including methods to promote the upgrade 

24 and safe reuse of those devices; 


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1 (I) to identify the social, behavioral, and 

2 economic barriers to recycling and reuse for elec3 tronic devices and develop strategies to increase 

4 awareness, consumer acceptance, and the prac5 tice of responsible recycling and reuse for those 

6 devices; 

7 (J) to characterize environmental releases 

8 from electronic device recycling processes, includ9 ing— 

10 (i) evaluating dermal or inhalation ex11 posure to dusts or fumes from shredding, 

12 disassembly, or thermal processes; and 

13 (ii) investigating appropriate control 

14 or mitigation processes; 

15 (K) to assess exposure risks, and develop 

16 control and strategies to mitigate contaminant 

17 releases, from disposal of electronic devices and 

18 recycling residuals, such as landfill leachate, 

19 smelter emissions, and smelter residues that pose 

20 human health and environmental risks; 

21 (L) to evaluate alternative materials and 

22 management processes that would reduce toxics 

23 use, extend product life, and enhance recycling of 

24 electronic devices over disposal; 


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1 (M) to quantify the environmental benefits 

2 of making the purchase, use, and end-of-life 

3 management of electronic devices more environ4 mentally preferable, including improved designs 

5 to enhance the reuse and recyclability of new 

6 electronic devices through research on materials 

7 and life cycle impacts; 

8 (N) to characterize the flow of unwanted 

9 electronic devices in global commerce, including 

10 identifying— 

11 (i) specific hazardous materials and 

12 the products that contain the materials; and 

13 (ii) the ultimate destinations of those 

14 materials through reuse, disposal, or incor15 poration in new products; 

16 (O) to develop methods to discourage exports 

17 to countries with unsafe recycling practices of re18 cyclable materials from electronic devices that 

19 could be processed into usable commodities in the 

20 United States or in North America, including 

21 identifying— 

22 (i) what kind of additional, specialized 

23 capacity is needed; 

24 (ii) existing barriers to the develop25 ment of that capacity; and 


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1 (iii) options for overcoming those bar2 riers; 

3 (P) to assess— 

4 (i) current recovery rates for precious 

5 and critical metals in various processing re6 gimes, such as manual disassembly, shred7 ding of whole or partially dismantled elec8 tronic devices, and smelting; and 

9 (ii) how to optimize the recovery of 

10 precious metals and critical metals in the 

11 recycling of discarded electronic devices; 

12 (Q) to track quantities of specific elements 

13 and substances used in electronic devices over 

14 time; and 

15 (R) to determine current and predicted 

16 quantities and types of electronic devices used, 

17 stored, generated, collected for recycling, ex18 ported, and disposed to quantify and analyze the 

19 flow of electronic devices from the point of sale 

20 to the end of life of the devices. 

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

22 provided under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi23 tive basis. 

24 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive a 

2 grant under this section, a consortium shall submit 

3 an application for the grant to the Administrator at 

4 such time, in such manner, and containing such in5 formation and assurances as the Administrator may 

6 require. 

7 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The application shall in8 clude a description of— 

9 (A) the research project that will be under10 taken by the consortium and the contributions of 

11 each of the participating entities, including the 

12 for-profit entity; 

13 (B) the applicability of the project to reduce 

14 impediments to electronic device recycling in the 

15 electronic device design, manufacturing, refur16 bishing, or recycling industries; 

17 (C) the potential for and feasibility of in18 corporating the research results into industry 

19 practice; and 

20 (D) how the project will promote collabora21 tion among scientists and engineers from dif22 ferent disciplines, such as electrical engineering, 

23 materials science, and social science. 

24 (d) DISSEMINATION OF RESEARCH RESULTS.—Re25 search results shall be made publicly available through— 


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1 (1) publication on the website of the Environ2 mental Protection Agency; 

3 (2) the development of best practices or training 

4 materials for use in the electronic device manufac5 turing, design, refurbishing, or recycling industries; 

6 (3) the dissemination at conferences affiliated 

7 with those industries; 

8 (4) demonstration projects; or 

9 (5) educational materials for the public produced 

10 in conjunction with State governments, local govern11 ments, or nonprofit organizations on problems and 

12 solutions relating to electronic device recycling and 

13 reuse. 

14 (e) FUNDING CONTRIBUTION FROM FOR-PROFIT MEM15 BER OF CONSORTIUM.—To be eligible for a grant under this 

16 section, the for-profit entity participating in the consortium 

17 shall contribute at least 10 percent of the total research 

18 project cost, either directly or through the provision of in19 kind contributions. 

20 (f) PROTECTION OF PROPRIETARY INFORMATION.— 

21 The Administrator— 

22 (1) shall not disclose any proprietary informa23 tion or trade secrets provided by any person or entity 

24 pursuant to this section; 


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1 (2) shall ensure that, as a condition of receipt of 

2 a grant under this section, each member of the consor3 tium has in place proper protections to maintain 

4 proprietary information or trade secrets contributed 

5 by other members of the consortium; and 

6 (3) if any member of the consortium breaches the 

7 conditions under paragraph (2) or discloses propri8 etary information or trade secrets, may require the 

9 return of any funds received under this section by the 

10 member. 

11 (g) BIENNIAL REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 

12 the date of enactment of this Act and every 2 years there13 after until Congress does not provide funds to carry out 

14 this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a re15 port that provides— 

16 (1) a list of the grants provided under this sec17 tion; 

18 (2) a list of the entities participating in each 

19 consortium receiving a grant; 

20 (3) a description of the research projects carried 

21 out in whole or in part with funds made available 

22 under such a grant; 

23 (4) the results of those research projects; and 

24 (5) a description of the rate and success of the 

25 adoption or integration of such research results into 


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1 the manufacturing processes, management practices, 

2 and products of the electronics industry. 

3 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

4 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

5 out this section— 

6 (1) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

7 (2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

8 (3) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

9 SEC. 5. ELECTRONIC DEVICE ENGINEERING RESEARCH, DE10 VELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION 

11 PROJECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

12 AGENCY. 

13 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator, through an ap14 plied research program of the Office of Research and Devel15 opment of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall con16 duct research for the purposes described in and on the topics 

17 listed in section 4(a). 

18 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

19 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

20 out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 

21 through 2013. 

22 SEC. 6. NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES REPORT ON 

23 ELECTRONIC DEVICE RECYCLING. 

24 (a) IN GENERAL.—In order to better identify gaps and 

25 opportunities in the research and training programs estabVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 lished under this Act, the Administrator shall enter into 

2 an arrangement with the Academy under which the Acad3 emy shall, not later than 1 year after the date of enactment 

4 of this Act, complete and submit to Congress a report on— 

5 (1) opportunities for and barriers to— 

6 (A) increasing the recyclability of electronic 

7 devices, specifically addressing— 

8 (i) recycling or safe disposal of elec9 tronic devices and low-value materials re10 covered from those devices; 

11 (ii) designing electronic devices to fa12 cilitate reuse and recycling; and 

13 (iii) the reuse of electronic devices; and 

14 (B) making electronic devices safer and 

15 more environmentally preferable, specifically ad16 dressing reducing the use of hazardous materials 

17 and potentially hazardous materials in electronic 

18 devices; 

19 (2) the environmental and human health risks 

20 posed by the storage, transport, recycling, and dis21 posal of unwanted electronic devices; 

22 (3) the current status of research and training 

23 programs to promote the environmental design of elec24 tronic devices to increase the recyclability of those de25 vices; 


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1 (4) any regulatory or statutory barriers that 

2 may prevent the adoption or implementation of best 

3 management practices or technological innovations 

4 that may arise from the research and training pro5 grams established under this Act; and 

6 (5) the direct and indirect economic and domes7 tic employment impacts associated with recycling and 

8 harvesting materials from unwanted electronic devices 

9 in lieu of the disposal of those devices directly in 

10 landfills. 

11 (b) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report under subsection 

12 (a) shall— 

13 (1) identify gaps in the research and training 

14 programs in addressing the opportunities, barriers, 

15 and risks relating to electronic device recycling; and 

16 (2) recommend areas in which additional re17 search and development resources are needed to reduce 

18 the impact of unwanted electronic devices on the envi19 ronment. 

20 SEC. 7. ENGINEERING CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT 

21 GRANTS. 

22 (a) GRANT PROGRAM.—The Administrator, in con23 sultation with the Director of the National Science Founda24 tion, shall provide grants to institutions of higher education 

25 to develop curricula that incorporates the principles of enviVerDate Nov 24 2008 23:48 Apr 19, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S1397.RS S1397

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1 ronmental design into the development of electronic de2 vices— 

3 (1) for the training of electrical, mechanical, in4 dustrial, manufacturing, materials, and software en5 gineers and other students at the undergraduate and 

6 graduate levels; and 

7 (2) to support the continuing education of pro8 fessionals in the electronic device manufacturing, de9 sign, refurbishing, or recycling industries. 

10 (b) OUTREACH TO MINORITY SERVING INSTITU11 TIONS.—The Administrator shall conduct outreach to mi12 nority serving institutions for the purposes of providing in13 formation on— 

14 (1) the grants available under this section; and 

15 (2) the application process for those grants. 

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

17 provided under this section on a merit-reviewed, competi18 tive basis. 

19 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—Grants provided under this 

21 section shall be used for activities that enhance the 

22 ability of an institution of higher education to broad23 en the undergraduate and graduate-level engineering 

24 curriculum or professional continuing education cur25 riculum— 


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1 (A) to include environmental engineering 

2 design principles and consideration of product 

3 lifecycles relating to electronic devices; and 

4 (B) to increase the recyclability of those de5 vices. 

6 (2) INCLUDED ACTIVITIES.—Activities carried 

7 out using funds from a grant may include— 

8 (A) developing and revising curriculum to 

9 include multidisciplinary elements; 

10 (B) creating research and internship oppor11 tunities for students through partnerships with 

12 industry, nonprofit organizations, or government 

13 agencies; 

14 (C) creating and establishing certificate 

15 programs; and 

16 (D) developing curricula for short courses 

17 and continuing education for professionals in the 

18 environmental design of electronic devices to in19 crease the recyclability of those devices. 

20 (e) APPLICATION.—An institution of higher education 

21 seeking a grant under this section shall submit an applica22 tion to the Administrator at such time, in such manner, 

23 and with such information and assurances as the Adminis24 trator may require. 


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1 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

3 out this section— 

4 (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

5 (2) $5,150,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

6 (3) $5,304,000 for fiscal year 2013. 

7 SEC. 8. ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE ALTERNATIVE 

8 MATERIALS PHYSICAL PROPERTY DATABASE. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall develop a 

11 comprehensive physical property database for envi12 ronmentally preferable alternative materials, design 

13 features, and manufacturing practices for use in elec14 tronic devices. 

15 (2) CONSULTATION.—In developing the database 

16 under this section, the Director shall consult with the 

17 Administrator regarding the environmental prefer18 ability of the materials, design features, and manu19 facturing processes to be contained in the database. 

20 (b) PRIORITIES.—The Director, working with the elec21 tronic device design, manufacturing, or recycling indus22 tries, shall develop a strategic plan to establish priorities 

23 and the physical property characterization requirements for 

24 the database described in subsection (a). 


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1 (c) OTHER MATTERS.—The Director may expand the 

2 database to include information on the environmental im3 pacts of various materials, design features, and manufac4 turing practices used in electronic devices from a lifecycle 

5 standpoint. 

6 (d) ANNUAL UPDATES.—The Director shall update the 

7 database not less than annually. 

8 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

9 authorized to be appropriated to the Director to carry out 

10 this section— 

11 (1) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; 

12 (2) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; and 

13 (3) $3,000,000 for fiscal year 2013. 


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Calendar No. 351 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 1397 

[Report No. 111–168] 

A BILL 

To authorize the Administrator of the Environposes. and demonstration projects, and for other pur- electronic device recycling research, development, mental Protection Agency to award grants for 

APRIL 19, 2010 

Reported with an amendment 


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