I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8232 

To amend the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 

to establish a research, development, and demonstration program for 

the recycling and reuse of energy critical materials used in energy storage 

systems, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 

Mr. TONKO (for himself and Mr. CURTIS) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To amend the United States Energy Storage Competitiveness 

Act of 2007 to establish a research, development, and 

demonstration program for the recycling and reuse of 

energy critical materials used in energy storage systems, 

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 ‘‘Bolster American 

5 Technology Through Expanding Recycling Yield Act of 

6 2020’’ or the ‘‘BATTERY Act of 2020’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. ENERGY CRITICAL MATERIAL RECYCLING AND 

2 REUSE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEM3 ONSTRATION PROGRAM. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—The United States Energy Stor5 age Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is 

6 amended by inserting after subsection (p) the following: 

7 ‘‘(q) ENERGY CRITICAL MATERIAL RECYCLING AND

8 REUSE RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRA9 TION PROGRAM.— 

10 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

11 ‘‘(A) ELECTRIC MOTOR VEHICLE.—The 

12 term ‘electric motor vehicle’ means a vehicle 

13 that derives all or part of its power for loco14 motion from electricity and is able to exceed a 

15 maximum speed of 25 miles per hour without 

16 any external assistance, including gravity, as 

17 determined by the Secretary. 

18 ‘‘(B) ELECTRONIC SCRAP.—The term 

19 ‘electronic scrap’ means personal electronic 

20 products near or at the end of their useful life, 

21 containing embedded energy storage systems, as 

22 determined by the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(C) ENERGY CRITICAL MATERIAL.—The 

24 term ‘energy critical material’ means any of a 

25 class of chemical materials that have a high 

26 risk of a supply disruption and are critical to 


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1 one or more existing or new, energy-related 

2 technologies such that a substantial supply dis3 ruption of such material would significantly in4 hibit large-scale deployment of technologies that 

5 produce, transmit, store, or conserve energy. 

6 ‘‘(D) ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM.—The 

7 term ‘energy storage system’ means a system, 

8 equipment, facility, or technology that— 

9 ‘‘(i) is capable of absorbing energy, 

10 storing such energy for a period of time, 

11 and dispatching such energy after storage; 

12 and 

13 ‘‘(ii) uses a mechanical, electrical, 

14 chemical, electrochemical, or thermal proc15 ess to store such energy, or any other proc16 ess that the Secretary determines relevant. 

17 ‘‘(E) LOW-SPEED ELECTRIC VEHICLE.— 

18 The term ‘low-speed electric vehicle’ means a 

19 vehicle with fewer than four wheels that derives 

20 all or part of its power for locomotion from 

21 electricity and is unable to exceed a maximum 

22 speed of 25 miles per hour without any external 

23 assistance, including gravity, as determined by 

24 the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(F) RECYCLING.—The term ‘recycling’ 

2 means the separation of energy critical mate3 rials embedded within an energy storage system 

4 through physical or chemical means and reuse 

5 of those separated energy critical materials in 

6 other technologies. 

7 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than one 

8 year after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

9 the Secretary shall establish a research, develop10 ment, and demonstration program of recycling of en11 ergy storage systems containing energy critical ma12 terials. 

13 ‘‘(3) RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEM14 ONSTRATION.—In carrying out the program, the 

15 Secretary shall focus research, development, and 

16 demonstration activities on— 

17 ‘‘(A) technologies, process improvements, 

18 design optimizations, and methods that improve 

19 collection, sorting, storage, and transportation 

20 of energy storage systems for the purposes of 

21 recycling, including— 

22 ‘‘(i) removal of electronic scrap and 

23 low-speed electric vehicles from landfill and 

24 general recycling waste streams; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) extraction of energy storage sys2 tems from electronic scrap and low-speed 

3 electric vehicles; 

4 ‘‘(iii) extraction, recovery, and reuse 

5 of energy critical materials from energy 

6 storage systems; 

7 ‘‘(iv) extraction, recovery, and reuse 

8 of energy storage systems, and energy crit9 ical materials from energy storage systems, 

10 within electric motor vehicles; 

11 ‘‘(v) improving the recyclability of en12 ergy storage systems and products con13 taining energy storage systems; and 

14 ‘‘(vi) safe disposal of energy storage 

15 systems, including waste materials and 

16 components recovered during the recycling 

17 process; and 

18 ‘‘(B) research on and analysis of non-tech19 nical barriers to improve the collection and re20 cycling of energy storage systems containing en21 ergy critical materials, including strategies to 

22 improve consumer education of, acceptance of, 

23 and participation in, the recycling of energy 

24 storage systems; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) research on and analysis of tech2 nologies and methods to mitigate environmental 

3 impacts that arise from recycling energy stor4 age systems, including disposal of toxic re5 agents and byproducts related to recycling proc6 esses. 

7 ‘‘(4) ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP.—The 

8 Secretary shall seek to ensure that any activity re9 ceiving funding under this program— 

10 ‘‘(A) does not release toxic byproducts into 

11 the environment; 

12 ‘‘(B) sufficiently minimizes potential fire 

13 risk— 

14 ‘‘(i) in facilities where energy storage 

15 systems are stored; and 

16 ‘‘(ii) in the transportation of energy 

17 storage systems; and 

18 ‘‘(C) protects the health and safety of all 

19 persons involved in or in proximity to such ac20 tivity. 

21 ‘‘(5) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 3 

22 years after the date of enactment of this subsection, 

23 and every 3 years thereafter, the Secretary shall 

24 submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and 

25 Technology of the House of Representatives and the 


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1 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 

2 Senate a report summarizing the activities, findings, 

3 and progress of the program.’’. 

4 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—The 

5 United States Energy Storage Competitiveness Act of 

6 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended in subsection (p)— 

7 (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

8 end; 

9 (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and 

10 inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

11 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

12 ‘‘(7) the research, development, and demonstra13 tion program under subsection (q) $22,000,000 for 

14 each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025.’’. 

Æ 


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