35202 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 111 / Thursday, June 9, 2022 / Notices 

tribes, local governments and 

communities with regard to postconsumer materials management and 

how can SWIFR grants assist in 

overcoming those barriers? 

• EPA is considering a wide range of 

eligible uses for SWIFR funds including 

planning, facility-specific feasibility 

studies, infrastructure improvements 

such as equipment upgrades, and new 

construction. Are there other activities 

that EPA should consider for funding 

eligibility when completing the design 

of the SWIFR grant program? For other 

activity recommendations, please 

provide associated estimated costs. 

• What are some examples of postconsumer materials management 

projects, studies or initiatives, and 

associated estimated costs, that would 

support disadvantaged communities, 

rural communities, communities with 

environmental justice concerns, and 

tribes and territories? 

• Are there negative impacts from 

post-consumer materials management 

facilities on communities? How could 

grant funds be used to eliminate or 

minimize those negative impacts? For 

any projects, studies, or initiatives 

referenced in response to this RFI, 

please also provide associated estimated 

costs. 

• Are there specific recommendations 

that EPA should be considering to 

improve post-consumer materials 

management, such as: 

Æ Investments needed for state, 

territorial, tribal, and local waste 

management programs; 

Æ Examples of equipment and 

tangible infrastructure, technology, or 

other improvements needed to increase 

access and/or increase recovery of 

materials; 

Æ Recommendations on how to create 

greater system wide consistency on 

managing post-consumer materials; 

Æ Examples of projects, studies, or 

initiatives, and associated estimated 

costs, to increase access for 

communities without robust postconsumer materials management 

programs; 

Æ Examples of projects, studies, or 

initiatives, and associated estimated 

costs, to implement innovative 

approaches to improve post-consumer 

materials management; 

Æ Programs or projects that will 

support local, state or regional markets 

for material; and 

Æ State and local data needs to 

improve measurement of materials and 

how they are managed. 

• Should EPA consider a phased 

approach to grant distribution to allow 

multi-year financing options? If so, 

please provide detailed 

recommendations on the phases EPA 

should consider. 

• Should EPA consider allocating the 

funds to allow for a greater number of 

smaller grants to assist with discreet 

projects and planning, or a smaller 

number of larger grants to support a 

more complex investment? 

• Do you have any additional 

information that might be considered by 

EPA in developing future programs to 

improve post-consumer materials 

management programs infrastructure? 

V. Disclaimer and Important Note 

This request for information is issued 

solely for information, research and 

planning purposes and does not 

constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP) 

or a Request for Applications (RFA). 

Responding to this RFI will not give any 

advantage to or preclude any 

organization or individual in any 

subsequently issued solicitation, RFP, or 

RFA. Any future development activities 

related to this activity will be 

announced separately on https://

www.sam.gov and/or https://

www.grants.gov. This RFI does not 

represent any award commitment on the 

part of the U.S. Government, nor does 

it obligate the Government to pay for 

costs incurred in the preparation and 

submission of any responses. 

Dated: June 3, 2022. 

Carolyn Hoskinson, 

Director, Office of Resource Conservation and 

Recovery. 

[FR Doc. 2022–12457 Filed 6–8–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OLEM–2022–0340, FRL–9842–01– 

OLEM] 

Development of Best Practices for 

Collection of Batteries To Be Recycled 

and Voluntary Battery Labeling 

Guidelines; Request for Information 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Request for Information (RFI). 

SUMMARY: EPA is developing best 

practices with respect to the collection 

of batteries to be recycled, as well as 

establishing a program to promote 

battery recycling through the 

development of voluntary labeling 

guidelines for batteries and 

communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers as directed by 

the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs 

Act of 2021. To aid in the 

implementation of these directives, the 

Office of Resource Conservation and 

Recovery (ORCR) within the 

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 

requests information on the end-of-life 

management of batteries, including 

information on their generation, 

collection, recycling, reuse, as well as 

the current labeling standards/ 

requirements for batteries regarding 

their end-of-life. EPA is interested in 

both single-use batteries, also known as 

primary batteries, and rechargeable 

batteries, also known as secondary 

batteries. This includes lithium based, 

nickel-metal hydride, and other battery 

chemistries, as well as all battery types, 

such as small consumer batteries, large 

format batteries (including electric 

vehicles and grid energy storage), and 

industrial batteries used in 

manufacturing, commercial businesses, 

and healthcare operations. ORCR is also 

seeking information about how 

consumers, businesses, entities in the 

vehicle management chain (dealerships, 

repair shops, auction houses, 

dismantlers, entities that repurpose 

electric vehicle batteries, refurbishers, 

and scrap yards), and others are 

educated on how to manage batteries at 

the end-of-life. Information from a wide 

range of stakeholders involved in the 

battery lifecycle from its manufacture to 

its end-of-life management, including 

but not limited to industry stakeholders, 

researchers, academia, state, tribal, and 

local governments including U.S. 

territories and the District of Columbia, 

other federal agencies, community 

groups, non-governmental 

organizations, the public, and 

international organizations. 

DATES: Written comments and 

information must be received on or 

before July 11, 2022. EPA will also hold 

feedback sessions with an opportunity 

to provide live, verbal feedback. The 

dates and times for those feedback 

sessions will be posted on: https://

www.epa.gov/rcra/feedback-sessionsbipartisan-infrastructure-law-solidwaste-and-recycling-programs. To stay 

connected about these feedback sessions 

subscribe to: https://www.epa.gov/ 

recyclingstrategy/forms/stay-connected. 

ADDRESSES: EPA invites submission of 

the requested information through one 

of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

online instructions for submitting your 

comments, identified by Docket ID No. 

EPA–HQ–OLEM–2022–0340. 

• Hand Delivery or Courier: EPA 

Docket Center, WJC West Building, 

Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20004. The Docket 

Center’s hours of operations are 8:30 


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a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday (except 

Federal Holidays). 

Once submitted, comments cannot be 

edited or removed from Regulations.gov. 

EPA may publish any comment received 

to its public docket. Do not submit 

electronically any information you 

consider to be Confidential Business 

Information (CBI) or other information 

whose disclosure is restricted by statute. 

Multimedia submissions (audio, video, 

etc.) must be accompanied by a written 

comment. For additional submission 

methods, the full EPA public comment 

policy, information about CBI or 

multimedia submissions, and general 

guidance on making effective 

comments, please visit https://

www.epa.gov/dockets/commenting-epadockets. 

Instructions: All submissions received 

must include the Docket ID No. EPA– 

HQ–OLEM–2022–0340 for this notice. 

Comments received may be posted 

without change to https://

www.regulations.gov/, including any 

personal information provided. For 

detailed instructions on sending 

comments see the SUPPLEMENTARY

INFORMATION section of this document. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

questions concerning this document, 

contact Rita Chow, Resource 

Conservation and Sustainability 

Division, Office of Resource 

Conservation and Recovery, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Mail Code 

5306T, Washington, DC 20460; 

telephone number: (202) 566–0227; 

email address: Batteries@epa.gov. For 

more information on this action please 

visit https://www.epa.gov/rcra/ 

infrastructure. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Participation 

Response to this RFI is voluntary. 

Responses to this RFI may be submitted 

by a single party or by a team. 

Respondents should respond to this RFI 

in a Microsoft Word (.docx) file or 

Adobe PDF (.pdf) file. This document 

should contain the following: 

• Two clearly delineated sections: (1) 

Cover page with company name and 

contact information; and (2) responses 

should indicate which topic and 

specific questions are being addressed. 

• 1-inch margins (top, bottom, and 

sides). 

• Times New Roman and 12-point 

font. 

Comments containing references, 

studies, research, and other empirical 

data that are not widely published 

should include copies or electronic 

links of the referenced materials. No 

confidential and/or business proprietary 

information, copyrighted information, 

or personally identifiable information 

should be submitted in response to this 

RFI. Privacy Note: All comments 

received from members of the public 

will be available for public viewing on 

Regulations.gov. In accordance with 

FAR 15.202(3), responses to this notice 

are not offers and cannot be accepted by 

the Federal Government to form a 

binding contract. Additionally, those 

submitting responses are solely 

responsible for all expenses associated 

with response preparation. 

II. General Information 

A. What is the purpose of this RFI? 

Under the Infrastructure Investment 

and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117–58), also 

known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law, EPA is directed to develop several 

new solid waste recycling programs. 

This RFI covers the following programs 

established by the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law: 

• The development of best practices 

that may be implemented by state, 

tribal, and local governments with 

respect to the collection of batteries to 

be recycled that is—technically and 

economically feasible; environmentally 

sound and safe for waste management 

workers; and optimize the value and use 

of material derived from recycling of 

batteries; and 

• The establishment of a program to 

promote battery recycling through the 

development of voluntary labeling 

guidelines for batteries and other forms 

of communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. The purpose of the 

program is to improve battery collection 

and reduce battery waste by— 

identifying battery collection locations 

and increasing accessibility to those 

locations; promoting consumer 

education about battery collection and 

recycling; and reducing safety concerns 

relating to the improper disposal of 

batteries. EPA is also interested in the 

creation of labeling guidelines as a 

helpful tool in providing information to 

battery manufacturers about the 

recyclability of their products. EPA is 

interested in how the voluntary labeling 

guidelines might apply to small format, 

large format, and industrial batteries. 

This RFI seeks information on both 

single-use batteries, also known as 

primary batteries, and rechargeable 

batteries, also known as secondary 

batteries; all battery chemistries, 

including but not limited to: lithium 

based, nickel-metal hydride, and other 

battery chemistries; and all battery 

types, such as small consumer batteries, 

large format batteries (including electric 

vehicles and grid energy storage), and 

industrial batteries used in 

manufacturing, commercial businesses, 

and healthcare operations, to inform the 

scope of the battery collection best 

practices, voluntary labeling guidelines 

for batteries, and other forms of 

communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. This RFI seeks input 

from all stakeholders involved in the 

battery lifecycle from its manufacture to 

its end-of-life management—including 

but not limited to the public, industry, 

researchers, academia, state, tribal, and 

local governments, including U.S. 

territories and the District of Columbia, 

other federal agencies, community 

groups, non-governmental 

organizations, and international 

organizations. In addition to 

stakeholders involved with small 

consumer batteries, EPA also is 

interested in obtaining input from 

stakeholders involved with large format 

batteries (including electric vehicles and 

grid energy storage), and industrial 

batteries used in manufacturing, 

commercial businesses, and healthcare 

operations. This stakeholder input will 

inform the Agency’s efforts to develop 

best practices with respect to the 

collection of batteries to be recycled, as 

well as to establish a program to 

promote battery recycling through the 

development of voluntary labeling 

guidelines for batteries and other forms 

of communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. 

This RFI is part of a series of RFIs 

EPA will be issuing to inform the 

development of new programs under the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Other 

RFIs that are related include those on 

the Solid Waste Infrastructure for 

Recycling Grant Program and the 

Recycling Education and Outreach— 

Grant Program and Model Recycling 

Program Toolkit. In addition, the U.S. 

Department of Energy will be issuing 

future information requests to advise 

their work to support battery recycling 

under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, 

which includes several grant programs 

to support battery collection, safe 

storage and transportation, recycling, 

and second-use. 

III. Background 

Critical materials, such as lithium, are 

key resources needed to manufacture 

products for the clean energy economy, 

including wind turbines, solar panels, 

and electric vehicles. However, supply 


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1https://www.commerce.gov/data-and-reports/ 

reports/2019/06/federal-strategy-ensure-secure-andreliable-supplies-critical-minerals. 2https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/ 

presidential-actions/2021/02/24/executive-orderon-americas-supply-chains/. 3https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/ 

uploads/2021/06/100-day-supply-chain-reviewreport.pdf. 4Strategic and critical minerals are any materials 

that are needed to supply the military, industrial, 

and essential civilian needs of the United States 

during a national emergency, and that are not found 

or produced in the U.S. in sufficient quantities to 

meet such need. 

5Argus. (2017). The lithium market—the future is 

electric. https://www.argusmedia.com/-/media/ 

Files/white-papers/the-lithium-market-the-future-iselectric.ashx. 

6https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/ 

harnessing-power-battery-rdd-battle-climatechange. 

7https://www.epa.gov/recyclingstrategy/ 

strategies-building-circular-economy-all. 8https://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics/ 

sustainable-materials-management-smmelectronics-challenge#01. 

chain disruptions associated with these 

valuable resources introduce 

uncertainty and instability in the 

production of these essential 

technologies. For example, reliable 

supplies of lithium and cobalt are 

needed to manufacture lithium-ion 

batteries which are used for electric 

vehicles and grid energy storage. 

In 2019, the U.S. Department of 

Commerce issued a Federal Strategy to 

Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of 

Critical Minerals,1 which included an 

action to improve understanding of 

domestic critical mineral resources, 

including secondary sources. In 

February 2021, President Biden signed 

Executive Order 14017, Executive Order 

on America’s Supply Chains,2 to 

improve supply chain security for the 

U.S. Government and U.S. companies. 

In June 2021, the White House released 

its Building Resilient Supply Chains, 

Revitalizing American Manufacturing, 

and Fostering Broad-Based Growth 3

report, which included a 

recommendation to build a foundation 

for accelerated growth in strategic and 

critical material recycling and recovery. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 

investments for both EPA and DOE in 

battery collection and recycling will 

help the nation strengthen and build 

more resilient supply chains. 

Batteries are important sources of 

critical minerals.4 Depending on the 

battery chemistry, critical minerals used 

in the manufacture of batteries include 

antimony, cobalt, graphite, lithium, 

manganese, and nickel. Batteries power 

many of the consumer devices, 

electronics and vehicles used in 

people’s daily lives from household 

appliances to laptops, cell phones, 

wireless headphones, cameras, 

handheld gaming devices, cordless 

power tools, toys, flashlights, and other 

portable devices. Given the usefulness 

of batteries in these applications, 

especially lithium-ion batteries for 

electric vehicles, bikes, scooters, and 

grid energy storage, the demand for 

these batteries are expected to continue 

rising at an exponential rate.5 In the 

future, up to 40% of critical materials in 

batteries may be supplied from recycled 

batteries according to the U.S. 

Department of Energy (DOE).6 Thus, 

there is a great opportunity to increase 

the recovery of critical materials by 

improving end-of-life management and 

recycling of batteries. 

Batteries are also important in the 

nation’s efforts to tackle climate change. 

First, batteries are essential to powering 

the nation’s economy with clean, 

affordable, and resilient energy and 

transportation options. Economical and 

fast-charging batteries are important to 

spurring adoption of all-electric and 

plugin-hybrid vehicles, while highenergy-density battery storage is needed 

for solar and wind power. Second, 

recycling batteries can also reduce 

environmental impacts associated with 

their life cycle. Recycling batteries helps 

prevent valuable materials from going 

into the waste stream, reduce 

greenhouse gases that would be 

generated and energy needed to 

manufacture new batteries, and reduce 

the extraction of valuable and limited 

virgin resources. 

Batteries can also pose a hazard if 

managed incorrectly. Once the device is 

broken or the batteries lose their charge, 

they can end up in the regular waste or 

curbside recycling bins, which can 

result in dangerous situations. Batteries 

can start fires throughout the municipal 

waste management system, in 

transportation and at transfer facilities, 

to materials recycling facilities, scrap 

yards, and landfills, causing air 

pollution issues in already 

overburdened communities and 

threatening worker and first responder 

safety. In addition to the fire danger, 

when discarded improperly, such as in 

household trash or curbside recycling, 

critical materials inside batteries are lost 

and cannot be recycled into new 

batteries. 

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 

makes significant investments to 

address batteries in a holistic manner 

from producing critical minerals, 

sourcing materials for manufacturing, 

and even recycling critical materials 

without new extraction/mining. For 

DOE, it provided more than $7 billion 

investment in the supply chain for 

batteries, including investments in the 

end-of-life infrastructure for batteries 

from the collection, safe storage and 

transportation, recycling, and seconduse. For EPA, it provided $10 million in 

funding for EPA to develop battery 

collection best practices that may be 

implemented by state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia. It also 

provided $15 million in funding for 

EPA to establish a program to develop 

voluntary labeling guidelines for 

batteries and other forms of 

communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. EPA and DOE are closely 

coordinating to carry out these 

investments to support battery 

collection and recycling infrastructure 

and communication materials. Together, 

EPA’s and DOE’s battery collection and 

recycling investments will help make it 

easier for the American people to 

recycle their batteries through proper 

channels and recover critical materials 

from batteries to strengthen the nation’s 

battery supply chain. 

IV. Request for Information 

Over the course of 2022, ORCR will be 

hosting virtual meetings across the 

country with interested stakeholders to 

inform the development of the new 

programs established by the Bipartisan 

Infrastructure Law. This RFI and the 

other RFIs aim to supplement those 

planned consultations and provide all 

interested individuals and organizations 

with the opportunity to share their 

perspectives on barriers and 

opportunities related to solid waste 

management infrastructure. EPA has 

also begun a series of strategies on 

building a circular economy for all, 

starting with the National Recycling 

Strategy.7 EPA is intending to develop 

a strategy to increase the circularity of 

electronics, including batteries, in order 

to reduce the life cycle environmental 

impact of these materials and increase 

the circularity of critical minerals. The 

information gathered here may also 

support that effort. 

EPA has already endeavored to learn 

about the proper end-of-life 

management of batteries from its 

previous work to increase the recycling 

of batteries or electronics. EPA’s 

Sustainable Electronics Challenge 8 has 

encouraged electronics manufacturers, 

brand owners and retailers reduce 

environmental impacts across the 

lifecycle of electronic products. This 

includes the increased collection and 

recycling of electronics and their 

batteries to recover critical minerals. 

EPA also has held several educational 


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9https://www.epa.gov/smm/sustainablematerials-management-smm-web-academywebinar-introduction-lithium-batteries-and. 

10https://www.epa.gov/recycle/importancesending-consumers-used-lithium-ion-batterieselectronic-recyclers-or-hazardous. 

11Summary Report for the EPA Lithium-Ion 

Battery Disposal and Recycling Stakeholder 

Workshop in October 2021, https://www.epa.gov/ 

recycle/workshop-lithium-ion-batteries-wastestream. 

12U.S. Geological Survey 2022 List of Critical 

Minerals, https://www.usgs.gov/news/nationalnews-release/us-geological-survey-releases-2022- 

list-critical-minerals. 

webinars 9 on the hazards batteries pose 

in the waste stream and released a 

report in July 2021 which explored the 

growing number of fires from lithium 

batteries during waste management, An 

Analysis of Lithium-ion Waste Fires in 

Waste Management and Recycling.10 In 

October 2021, EPA held a two-day 

virtual stakeholder workshop aimed at 

addressing the issues caused by 

improperly disposed lithium-ion 

batteries, improving collection logistics, 

labeling, public education, design for 

recycling, and strategies to promote the 

recycling of either small format 

consumer electronic batteries or large 

format (electric vehicle, stationary 

source) batteries.11 The lithium-ion 

battery workshop discussions have 

provided initial information and 

identified additional areas for 

stakeholder input that would be of help 

to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law 

battery efforts. 

To build on this information and 

better inform the development of best 

practices with respect to the collection 

of batteries to be recycled and establish 

a program to promote battery recycling 

through the development of voluntary 

labeling guidelines for batteries and 

communication materials under the 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, EPA has 

identified some key information 

categories on which stakeholder insights 

would be most helpful: 

• Scope and prioritization of the 

battery collection best practices 

• Understanding the battery 

collection and recycling system 

• Information on labeling guidelines 

for batteries regarding reuse and 

recycling 

• Information on battery reuse and 

recycling communication materials 

directed towards battery producers and 

consumers 

Following each information category, 

EPA has included a list of suggested 

questions as a helpful guide for 

consideration in preparing comments. 

EPA provides these questions simply to 

guide the type of comments the Agency 

would find useful to help inform the 

battery collection best practices and 

labeling efforts. EPA is interested in 

information about small format, large 

format, and industrial batteries. EPA 

encourages commenters to provide any 

other feedback or information that EPA 

should consider in developing best 

practices for the collection of batteries 

to be recycled, voluntary labeling 

guidelines for batteries, and 

communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. EPA also requests that 

commenters include, wherever possible, 

supporting data or other qualitative 

information such as information about 

the barriers and challenges to collecting 

batteries for recycling and battery labels, 

successful battery collection programs 

and battery labels, and details on 

measurable benefits for industry, 

government, or consumers. 

A. Suggestions on the Scope and 

Prioritization of the Battery Collection 

Best Practices 

The suggested questions below 

provide an opportunity for all 

commenters to provide input on the 

battery types, such as small consumer 

batteries and large format batteries 

(including electric vehicles and grid 

energy storage) and battery chemistries, 

including but not limited to: lithium 

based, nickel-metal hydride, and other 

battery chemistries to inform the scope 

of the best practices. For lead-acid 

batteries, EPA is aware that these 

batteries are manufactured with 

antimony, a critical mineral, and are 

currently recycled at a high rate 

especially from vehicles; thus, lead-acid 

batteries may not need to be considered 

in the battery collection best practices. 

However, EPA is interested in 

information on other lead-acid batteries 

such as small, sealed lead acid batteries 

that may not be recycled at a high rate. 

The suggested questions also are seeking 

information to inform the prioritization 

of which battery types/chemistries the 

collection best practices should target 

that will help increase the recovery of 

critical minerals, while also ensuring 

safe used battery recycling. EPA is also 

interested in any existing studies or 

reports with background information on 

batteries and their collection and 

recycling. EPA is interested in both 

batteries embedded in devices and 

standalone batteries. Commenters, 

however, should feel free to provide 

whatever pertinent information that 

would be useful to EPA as we consider 

the scope of the battery collection best 

practices. Commenters should clearly 

indicate whether the comment pertains 

to batteries embedded in devices and/or 

standalone batteries. 

• Please share any existing studies 

and reports with background 

information on: 

Æ Battery types (e.g., small consumer 

batteries, large format vehicle and grid 

energy storage batteries, and industrial 

batteries) and chemistries that are 

manufactured with critical materials 

and/or critical minerals.12

Æ Battery types (e.g., small consumer 

batteries, large format vehicle and grid 

energy storage batteries, and industrial 

batteries) and chemistries currently 

being collected and recycled; numbers 

of each battery type/chemistry recycled 

and disposed in the U.S. as well as 

number of batteries exported for 

recycling. 

Æ Battery types (e.g., small consumer 

batteries, large format vehicle and grid 

energy storage batteries, and industrial 

batteries) and chemistries that best serve 

as feedstock into the manufacture of 

non-battery products or other 

applications. 

Æ General geographic location of the 

battery recycling markets (e.g., 

percentages of batteries that go for 

recycling by geographic region, exported 

to certain countries, or by specific 

companies). 

• What battery types (such as small 

consumer batteries, large format vehicle 

and grid energy storage batteries, and 

industrial batteries) and chemistries 

have caused concerns when disposed of 

improperly? 

• What types of battery handlers in 

the reuse and recycling system should 

be included in the best practices for the 

collection of batteries for recycling? 

• What are the recycling markets for 

batteries? Which battery types/ 

chemistries serve as feedstock into 

manufacturing new batteries? 

• How do state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, handle 

battery collection and recycling (e.g., 

under a specific policy, as part of an 

electronics waste program, etc.)? Please 

provide information and a description 

of the policy or program. What impact 

has the policy or program had on battery 

collection and recycling? 

• What barriers are state, tribal, and 

local governments, including U.S. 

territories and the District of Columbia, 

facing regarding battery collection and 

recycling (e.g., lack of consumer 

participation, fire hazards, consumer 

mismanagement, lack of training for 

facility workers, battery removability) 

and what resources are needed to 

overcome them? 

• What state, tribal and local 

programs, including U.S. territories and 


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the District of Columbia, have been 

successful in achieving high recovery of 

critical minerals from end-of-life 

batteries? 

• Do state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, find 

common problems in educating the 

public about how batteries are 

collected? 

• Do state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, find 

common problems at battery collection? 

What existing best practices have been 

developed to address these common 

issues? How have these best practices 

increased safe battery recycling? 

• What problems have battery 

collection facilities encountered when 

handling and processing batteries? 

• Are there any evidence-based best 

practices for the collection of end-of-life 

batteries? If so, which organizations 

have developed them, what do 

commenters find useful about these 

practices, and what could be improved 

about them? 

• Do any communication materials 

exist on evidence-based battery 

collection best practices? If so, what 

could EPA improve about these 

communication materials. If not, what 

communication materials can EPA 

develop for state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, on battery 

collection best practices that would be 

useful for battery collection handlers 

and workers? 

• Is battery recycling accessible for 

residents in environmental justice 

communities? Do collection practices 

differ between urban, suburban, or rural 

areas? 

• What resources are needed to 

provide access and capacity building for 

residents in environmental justice 

communities without battery collection 

programs? 

B. Understanding the Battery Collection 

and Recycling System 

To help EPA better understand the 

end-of-life collection and management 

of batteries, the Agency would like 

information on the key entities in the 

battery recycling process, including all 

the intermediary facilities in the 

process. In addition to consumer 

batteries, EPA also is interested in 

information on electric vehicle and grid 

energy storage batteries. Suggested 

questions to consider for comment 

submission include: 

• What are all of the steps in the 

battery recycling process, from point of 

collection to final integration into a new 

product? 

• What are the barriers to recycling 

and reuse of batteries? What are the 

barriers to recycling of small consumer 

batteries (e.g., removability of the 

batteries from the devices)? What are the 

barriers unique to recycling of large 

batteries, including those for grid energy 

storage and vehicle batteries? 

• What are the barriers to maximizing 

the recovery of critical materials and 

minerals during the collection and 

recycling process? Where are losses of 

critical materials occurring in the 

battery collection and recycling system? 

Where are their opportunities to 

improve the recovery of critical 

materials in the battery collection and 

recycling system? 

• What are the concerns and 

challenges with battery recycling faced 

by each entity in the battery recycling 

chain? 

• How are batteries collected in 

different areas—at collection facilities, 

special household hazardous waste 

collection, or electronics recycling 

events? What types of batteries (e.g., 

small consumer batteries, large format 

vehicle and grid energy storage 

batteries, and industrial batteries) and 

chemistries are targeted for collection? 

Are there any negative impacts on the 

community from these battery collection 

sites? 

• What types of facilities collect 

batteries in different areas (e.g., retail 

stores; government facilities, including 

libraries, fire stations, or other 

government facilities; electronic waste 

service businesses, scrap yards, and car 

dealerships, etc.)? What battery types/ 

chemistries are collected? What 

collection methods are used (e.g., one 

bin for all battery types, multiple bins 

for different types of batteries, etc.)? 

What practices do collection sites utilize 

to safely accumulate batteries on site? 

What guidelines or requirements (e.g., 

tape battery ends or place in plastic 

bags, etc.) do consumers need to follow 

to drop off their used batteries? What 

are the costs and/or service fees charged 

for battery collection/recycling? When 

do original equipment manufacturers 

take back or retain ownership of 

batteries at end-of-life? 

• How are batteries that are damaged, 

defective, or recalled managed when 

collected? 

• What packing requirements are 

there for collected used batteries to be 

accepted by the next entity in the 

battery recycling chain? 

• What businesses serve as sorters 

and/or reuse and repair facilities (e.g., 

are they the same facilities that recycle 

electronic devices and electronic waste 

accessories)? What sorting methods are 

used, such as by hand, technology, etc.? 

How has the sorting method impacted 

the battery types recycled? What 

practices and trainings are utilized at 

battery sorting and reuse and repair 

facilities to protect workers from the 

hazards of handling and processing 

used batteries? 

• Which battery types/chemistries are 

sorted for reuse and repair versus 

recycling? What criteria determines the 

acceptability for reuse and repair? 

Which used batteries are designated for 

second life or refurbished? What are the 

markets for second life and refurbished 

batteries? What industry standards or 

other standards/specifications must be 

met for batteries that are repurposed 

into other uses? 

• What businesses serve as initial 

battery recycling pre-processing 

facilities (e.g., are there businesses that 

specialize in battery recycling or is it 

done at the same facilities where 

electronic devices are recycled)? How 

many of these facilities operate in the 

U.S.? What battery types/chemistries are 

taken for pre-processing? What preprocessing technologies are utilized at 

these facilities, (e.g., crushing, 

disassembly)? How does the preprocessing technology impact the 

amount of the materials recovered from 

the used batteries? 

• How many battery recycling 

facilities are there in the United States? 

What types of batteries (e.g., small 

consumer batteries, large format vehicle 

and grid energy storage batteries, and 

industrial batteries) and chemistries are 

recycled at these facilities? What form of 

battery materials are accepted for 

recycling (e.g., disassembled batteries, 

crushed batteries, intact batteries, etc.)? 

What technologies are utilized to 

recycle batteries? How does the 

recycling technology impact the amount 

of materials recovered from the used 

batteries? 

C. Information on Battery Labeling 

Guidelines 

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law, EPA is required to develop 

voluntary labeling guidelines for 

batteries and other forms of 

communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 

from batteries. To undertake this effort, 

the Agency would like to obtain input 

on the scope of the development of 

voluntary labeling guidelines and 

understand existing battery labeling 

guidelines. The Agency also would like 

to obtain input from commenters on the 

scope of the development of other forms 

of communication materials for battery 

producers and consumers about the 

reuse and recycling of critical materials 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 111 / Thursday, June 9, 2022 / Notices 35207 

13https://recyclingandenergy.org/wp-content/ 

uploads/2021/08/Be-A-Battery-HeroInformational.pdf. 

14https://www.larimer.org/solidwaste/batteries. 

15https://www.call2recycle.org/avoid-the-spark/ 

#campaign-highlights. 

from batteries as well as information on 

the existing communication materials 

that have been developed on the end-oflife management of batteries. In addition 

to labeling guidelines and 

communication materials for consumer 

batteries, EPA also is interested in 

communication materials for electric 

vehicle and grid energy storage 

batteries. Suggested questions to 

consider for comment submission on 

labeling practices/requirements include: 

Scope of Voluntary Labeling Guidelines 

• What should be the goals of 

developing voluntary labeling 

guidelines for batteries (e.g., increase 

critical minerals recovery, provide 

information to consumers about 

recycling and where they should bring 

their batteries; provide information to 

sorters and/or recyclers about the 

chemistry in the batteries; provide 

information to entities in the vehicle 

management chain—dealerships, repair 

shops, auction houses, dismantlers, 

entities that repurpose electric vehicle 

batteries, refurbishers, and scrap yards 

about vehicle battery recycling)? 

• What information should be 

included on the label to achieve those 

goals (e.g., instructions on how to locate 

a collection or recycling facility, 

chemistry of batteries, symbol for not 

throwing batteries in the trash, curbside 

recycling bin or other inappropriate 

location)? How can this information be 

conveyed clearly to non-English 

speakers? 

• Where should a label be placed (on 

battery, on device, on packaging, in 

store, or other location)? 

• What considerations should be 

accounted for in developing labeling 

guidelines for batteries that will be 

widely adopted for use by battery 

producers/manufacturers? 

Knowledge of Existing Battery Labeling 

Guidelines 

• What do consumers find confusing 

with current battery labels? Please share 

any evidence-based consumer studies 

that have been conducted on battery 

labels. How can the battery labels be 

improved? 

• What are the barriers to battery 

labeling for the manufacturers and for 

the collections and sorting facilities? 

• What state, tribal, and local 

governments including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, industry, 

standard-setting organizations, 

international organizations, and 

countries have existing battery labeling 

guidelines? What are the labeling 

practice/requirements/guidelines for the 

battery chemistry composition or the 

end-of-life management, including 

whether they are voluntary or 

mandatory? 

• How long have the labeling 

practices/guidelines been in existence? 

• What is the use/adoption rate by 

battery manufacturers? Why are some 

existing labeling standards adopted by 

battery manufacturers and not others? 

What are the barriers for adopting other 

labeling standards? 

• How have these existing labeling 

programs impacted battery recycling? 

• How are the labeling practices/ 

requirements/guidelines administered? 

Are they administered by a specific 

organization or other mechanism? If 

administered by an organization, how 

does it operate, including how is it 

funded for its maintenance and 

operations? 

D. Communication Materials for Battery 

Producers and Consumers About the 

Reuse and Recycling of Critical 

Materials From Batteries 

Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure 

Law, EPA also is required to develop 

other forms of communication materials 

for battery producers and consumers 

about the reuse and recycling of critical 

materials from batteries. To undertake 

this effort, the Agency would like to 

understand the existing communication 

materials that have been developed on 

the reuse and recycling of critical 

materials from batteries geared toward 

battery producers and consumers. EPA 

also would like to understand the 

existing communication materials that 

have been developed to help consumers 

on how and where to recycle their 

batteries. In addition to communication 

materials about small consumer battery 

recycling, EPA also is interested in 

existing communications materials 

about large format (electric vehicle and 

grid energy storage) batteries, and 

industrial batteries. Suggested questions 

to consider for comment submission on 

existing communication materials on 

the reuse and recycling of critical 

materials from batteries include: 

• How do consumers think about 

reusing and recycling used batteries 

(e.g., in the same manner as household 

recyclables or electronic wastes)? 

• How do battery producers think 

about reusing and recycling critical 

minerals from used batteries? Have 

there been specific efforts focused on 

communicating about reuse and 

recycling of used batteries with battery 

producers? 

• EPA is aware of some battery reuse 

and recycling communication materials 

that have been developed, including in 

Minnesota—Be Our Battery Hero,13

Larimer County, Colorado—Be Alert! 

Divert Hidden Batteries,14 and the 

Rechargeable Battery Recycling 

Corporation (RBRC)—Avoid the 

Spark.15 What other existing 

communication materials on the end-oflife management of batteries have been 

developed by federal, state, tribal, and 

local governments including U.S. 

territories and the District of Columbia, 

industry, and EU and other 

international countries and 

organizations? Please include a 

description of the key outreach 

components, target audiences, and the 

format of the materials (e.g., toolkits, 

print resources, images, videos, social 

media messages, etc.). What do 

commenters find most useful about 

these existing communication 

materials? What evidence and data are 

available to demonstrate the impacts 

from these communication materials? 

• What communication materials can 

EPA develop to assist state, tribal, and 

local governments, including U.S. 

territories and the District of Columbia, 

about battery collection and recycling to 

increase the recovery of critical minerals 

from batteries? What information/ 

messages should be included in the 

communication materials for battery 

producers? For consumers? What 

resources do state, tribal, and local 

governments, including U.S. territories 

and the District of Columbia, need to 

educate and elicit positive battery 

producer and consumer behavior 

changes for used batteries? 

• The Agency is aware of websites, 

such as Earth911 and RBRC’s 

Call2recycle.org, that can provide 

consumers and businesses with 

information on managing their used 

batteries. What other tools and resources 

have been developed by federal, state, 

tribal, and local governments including 

U.S. territories and the District of 

Columbia, industry, non-profit 

organizations, EU and other 

international organizations and 

countries to help consumers, 

businesses, and the entities in the 

battery reuse and recycling chain 

manage used batteries? Please include 

information and a description of the 

tools and resources (e.g., battery 

identification guides, call centers, 

battery collection locators, mobile 

phone applications, social media tools, 

etc.). What evidence and data are 


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35208 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 111 / Thursday, June 9, 2022 / Notices 

1See Expanding Flexible Use of the 3.7 to 4.2 

GHz Band, Report and Order and Order of Proposed 

Modification, 35 FCC Rcd 2343, 2391, paragraphs. 

116 through23 (2020) (3.7 GHz Band Report and 

Order). As a reminder, the Commission decided in 

the 3.7 GHz Band Report and Order that it will no 

longer accept applications for registration and 

licenses for FSS operations in the 3.7–4.0 GHz band 

in the contiguous United States and that it will not 

accept applications for new earth stations in the 

4.0–4.2 GHz band in the contiguous United States 

for the time being, during the C-band transition. 3.7 

GHz Band Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd at 2407, 

paragraphs. 149 through151. 

2 47 CFR 27.1412(d) (transition plan 

requirements). The satellite operators also file 

quarterly status reports in GN Docket No. 20–173. 

47 CFR 27.1412(f). 

3 3.7 GHz Band Report and Order, 35 FCC Rcd 

2343, 2460, para. 313. 

4According to RSM, in these cases an 

authorization holder has included in IBFS, in one 

or more callsigns, more C-band receive antennas at 

a site than exist at that site—e.g., 10 antennas 

registered when there are only six antennas at the 

site. 

5For instance, RSM has represented that certain 

antennas on the Incumbent List do not receive in 

the 3.7 GHz band, but are instead antennas 

operating on Ku band or Ka band frequencies. 

6See May 6 RSM filing. The May 6 RSM filing, 

with its attachment, can be found in ECFS. See also 

May 14, 2022, Incumbent Earth Station List, as 

corrected, April 4, 2022, DA 22–266. 

7The May 6 RSM filing also included two 

registrations where RSM represents that the same 

antenna is registered by different entities. As we 

cannot presume which of the two registrations 

available to demonstrate the impacts 

from these tools and resources? 

V. Disclaimer and Important Note 

This RFI is issued solely for 

information, research and planning 

purposes and does not constitute a 

Request for Proposals (RFP) or a Request 

for Applications (RFA). Any 

information obtained as a result of this 

RFI is intended to be used by EPA on 

a non-attribution basis to support EPA’s 

efforts to develop best practices for the 

collection of batteries to be recycled, 

voluntary labeling guidelines for 

batteries, and communication materials 

for battery producers and consumers 

about the reuse and recycling of critical 

materials from batteries. This RFI does 

not constitute a formal solicitation for 

proposals or abstracts. Your response to 

this notice will be treated as information 

only. EPA will review and consider all 

responses in its development of battery 

collection best practices and creation of 

voluntary battery labeling guidelines 

that are the subject of this request. This 

RFI does not represent any award 

commitment on the part of EPA, nor 

does it obligate EPA to pay for costs 

incurred in the preparation and 

submission of any responses. 

Dated: June 3, 2022. 

Carolyn Hoskinson, 

Director, Office of Resource Conservation and 

Recovery. 

[FR Doc. 2022–12459 Filed 6–8–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS 

COMMISSION 

[IB Docket No. 20–205; DA 22–518; FR ID 

90583] 

Notice of 90-Day Period To Submit 

Affirmation of Operational Status of 

Identified Earth Station Antennas To 

Avoid Losing Incumbent Status or File 

To Remove Identified Antennas From 

IBFS if No Longer Operational 

AGENCY: Federal Communications 

Commission. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In this document, the 

International Bureau (Bureau) provides 

the following notice to operators of 

certain incumbent FSS C-band earth 

station antennas recently reported to the 

Bureau by RSM US LLP (RSM), the Cband Relocation Coordinator, on behalf 

of incumbent C-band satellite operators: 

Failure to submit a filing to the Bureau 

by no later than 90 days after the release 

of the Bureau’s Public Notice (i.e., by 

August 10, 2022) affirming the 

continued operation of the earth station 

antennas reported to the Bureau as 

inactive and the intent to participate in 

the C-band transition will result in a 

Bureau announcement that those 

authorizations identified as inactive in 

the Appendix attached to the Bureau’s 

Public Notice have automatically 

terminated by operation of rule, and that 

those authorizations will be terminated 

in IBFS and removed from the 

incumbent earth station list. According 

to RSM, each antenna included in the 

Appendix to the Bureau’s Public Notice 

was reported by their earth station 

operator to RSM or a satellite operator 

as no longer receiving service from a Cband satellite even though the FCC’s 

International Bureau Filing System 

(IBFS) continues to include the antenna 

as active. 

DATES: Identified earth station operators 

must provide notice of operational 

status by August 10, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kerry Murray, International Bureau, 

Satellite Division, at (202) 418–0734, 

Kerry.Murray@fcc.gov or IBFSINFO@

fcc.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a 

summary of the Commission’s 

document, DA 22–518, released May 12, 

2022. The full text of this document, 

along with the Appendix identifying the 

specific earth station antennas subject to 

automatic termination, is available for 

public inspection and can be 

downloaded at https://www.fcc.gov/ 

document/ib-identifies-inactive-c-bandincumbent-earth-station-antennas or by 

using the search function for IB Docket 

No. 20–205 on the Commission’s ECFS 

page at www.fcc.gov/ecfs. 

Background. Under the Commission’s 

3.7 GHz Band Report and Order, RSM 

is responsible for coordinating with the 

five incumbent C-band satellite 

operators—Eutelsat, Intelsat, SES, 

StarOne, and Telesat—to ensure that all 

incumbent earth stations are accounted 

for in the transition.1 The overwhelming 

majority of incumbent earth stations 

have been claimed by the satellite 

operator(s) from which they receive 

service, included in the relevant 

satellite operators’ transition plans to 

the Commission, and will be 

transitioned to the upper 200 megahertz 

of the band.2 RSM, as the C-band 

Relocation Coordinator, and the satellite 

operators have conducted outreach and 

research to determine whether 

incumbent earth station antennas are 

still operational in the 3.7 GHz band 

and, if so, from which satellite(s) the 

earth station receives its service.3 RSM 

has advised the Commission that it and 

the incumbent satellite operators 

regularly share the results of their 

respective outreach efforts to better 

coordinate the transition of incumbent 

earth stations. 

In the course of their outreach, the 

satellite operators and RSM have 

identified certain entries on the 

incumbent list that they report include 

antennas that are not active C-band 

antennas in the 3.7 GHz band. 

According to RSM, these entries 

include: (1) C-band antennas that are 

inactive or non-operational, (2) 

authorizations that list more C-band 

antennas than are currently operational 

at a site,4 and (3) operational antennas 

that do not receive in the 3.7 GHz band.5

RSM represents that these earth station 

operators have failed to make filings in 

the FCC’s IBFS to reflect the correct 

status of those antennas. 

On May 6, 2022, RSM submitted a 

letter identifying these individual earth 

station antennas that fall into one of the 

three categories listed above, which are 

included on the latest incumbent earth 

station list and continue to be listed in 

IBFS.6 RSM explains that it compiled 

this group of antennas—which were not 

included in the January 19 PN, July 23 

PN, or September 27 PN—from 

representations made to RSM by the 

satellite operators. We have attached to 

this PN an Appendix listing the 

antennas submitted by RSM that fall 

into the three categories.7


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