I
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1525
To amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of
the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a recycling credit sys-
tem for carrying out recycling of used oil, and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 7, 1995
Mr. TORRES (for himself, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. BEILENSON, Mr. BERMAN, Mr.
BONIOR, Mr. BROWN of California, Mr. BRYANT of Texas, Mr. DELLUMS,
Ms. ESHOO, Mr. EVANS, Mr. FATTAH, Mr. FAZIO of California, Mr.
FILNER, Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts, Mr. FROST, Ms. HARMAN, Mr.
KLECZKA, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. MILLER
of California, Mr. MINETA, Mr. MORAN, Ms. PELOSI, Mr. ROMERO-
BARCELO´, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mrs. SCHROEDER, Mr. SERRANO, Mr.
VENTO, Mr. WALSH, Ms. WATERS, Mr. WAXMAN, Ms. WOOLSEY, and
Mr. YATES) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Ad-
ministrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to
establish a recycling credit system for carrying out recy-
cling of used oil, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Oil Recycling Incen-
tives Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The generation of solid and hazardous
waste has grown to alarming proportions in the
United States. Each person in the United States
throws away 3.6 pounds of garbage every day—
enough annually to fill a convoy of 10-ton garbage
trucks 145,000 miles long, which is the equivalent of
half-way to the moon or roughly 7 times around the
equator.
(2) Frequently economic incentives are not suf-
ficient to encourage waste minimization and respon-
sible environmental behavior, and such incentives ac-
tually may favor increased waste generation and im-
proper behavior.
(3) A system of economic incentives targeted at
waste reduction and recycling together with respon-
sible regulation of recycling activity can reduce both
the amount and toxicity of materials entering the
environment.
(4) In particular, there is a need to encourage
greater recycling of used oils. Americans are improp-
erly pouring on the ground or into sewers, placing
in landfills, or improperly burning over 400 million
gallons of such oil per year. This is equivalent to
more than 35 Exxon Valdez spills. In addition to
fouling the environment, this depletes oil resources
and increases the Nation’s reliance on foreign oil.
(5) The Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency requires additional statutory au-
thority to address situations in which economic in-
centives to encourage waste reduction and respon-
sible environmental behavior are not adequate.
SEC. 3. USED OIL RECYCLING REQUIREMENTS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of the Solid Waste Dis-
posal Act (42 U.S.C. 6921 et seq.) is amended by redesig-
nating sections 3015 through 3023 as sections 3016
through 3024, respectively, and by inserting after section
3014 the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 3015. RECYCLING REQUIREMENTS FOR USED OIL.
‘‘(a) GENERAL REQUIREMENT.—(1) During the pe-
riod beginning not later than 24 months after the date
of the enactment of the Oil Recycling Incentives Act and
ending 10 years after such date, a producer or importer
of lubricating oil each year shall recycle, using a method
described in paragraph (2), an amount of used oil equal
to at least that amount of oil determined by—
‘‘(A) multiplying the lubricating oil produced
for domestic use or consumption or imported that
year by such person, by
‘‘(B) the recycling percentage established by the
Administrator under subsection (b).
‘‘(2) A producer or importer of lubricating oil may
comply with this subsection—
‘‘(A) by recycling used oil (in compliance with
the requirements of section 3014 and regulations
promulgated pursuant to such section) through re-
introducing the used oil into refinery production for
purposes of producing petroleum products;
‘‘(B) by purchasing re-refined oil or re-refined
lubricant base stock from a facility having a permit
under section 3005 for purposes of producing lubri-
cating oil; or
‘‘(C) by purchasing recycling credits under the
recycling credit system established pursuant to
subsection (c).
‘‘(3) A producer or importer of lubricating oil shall
submit to the Administrator, under regulations promul-
gated by the Administrator, a report on the amount of
lubricating oil produced or imported in each calendar year
by such person. The report shall be submitted at least once
a year, but the Administrator also may require such in-