Title: BATTERY Act of 2020
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Bolster American Technology Through Expanding Recycling Yield Act of 2020 or the BATTERY Act of 2020
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a research, development, and demonstration program of recycling of energy critical materials embedded within energy storage systems (e.g., batteries). Energy critical materials means chemicals that have a high risk of a supply disruption and are critical to one or more energy-related technologies; a substantial supply disruption of such material would significantly inhibit large-scale deployment of technologies that produce, transmit, store, or conserve energy.
DOE must seek to ensure that any activity receiving funding under the program (1) does not release toxic byproducts into the environment, (2) sufficiently minimizes potential fire risk in facilities where energy storage systems are stored and in the transportation of such systems, and (3) protects the health and safety of all persons involved in or in proximity to such activity.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8232 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






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.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bolster American Technology Through 
Expanding Recycling Yield Act of 2020'' or the ``BATTERY Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. ENERGY CRITICAL MATERIAL RECYCLING AND REUSE RESEARCH, 
              DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The United States Energy Storage Competitiveness 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended by inserting after subsection 
(p) the following:
    ``(q) Energy Critical Material Recycling and Reuse Research, 
Development, and Demonstration Program.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) Electric motor vehicle.--The term `electric 
                motor vehicle' means a vehicle that derives all or part 
                of its power for locomotion from electricity and is 
                able to exceed a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour 
                without any external assistance, including gravity, as 
                determined by the Secretary.
                    ``(B) Electronic scrap.--The term `electronic 
                scrap' means personal electronic products near or at 
                the end of their useful life, containing embedded 
                energy storage systems, as determined by the Secretary.
                    ``(C) Energy critical material.--The term `energy 
                critical material' means any of a class of chemical 
                materials that have a high risk of a supply disruption 
                and are critical to one or more existing or new, 
                energy-related technologies such that a substantial 
                supply disruption of such material would significantly 
                inhibit large-scale deployment of technologies that 
                produce, transmit, store, or conserve energy.
                    ``(D) Energy storage system.--The term `energy 
                storage system' means a system, equipment, facility, or 
                technology that--
                            ``(i) is capable of absorbing energy, 
                        storing such energy for a period of time, and 
                        dispatching such energy after storage; and
                            ``(ii) uses a mechanical, electrical, 
                        chemical, electrochemical, or thermal process 
                        to store such energy, or any other process that 
                        the Secretary determines relevant.
                    ``(E) Low-speed electric vehicle.--The term `low-
                speed electric vehicle' means a vehicle with fewer than 
                four wheels that derives all or part of its power for 
                locomotion from electricity and is unable to exceed a 
                maximum speed of 25 miles per hour without any external 
                assistance, including gravity, as determined by the 
                Secretary.
                    ``(F) Recycling.--The term `recycling' means the 
                separation of energy critical materials embedded within 
                an energy storage system through physical or chemical 
                means and reuse of those separated energy critical 
                materials in other technologies.
            ``(2) Establishment.--Not later than one year after the 
        date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall 
        establish a research, development, and demonstration program of 
        recycling of energy storage systems containing energy critical 
        materials.
            ``(3) Research, development, and demonstration.--In 
        carrying out the program, the Secretary shall focus research, 
        development, and demonstration activities on--
                    ``(A) technologies, process improvements, design 
                optimizations, and methods that improve collection, 
                sorting, storage, and transportation of energy storage 
                systems for the purposes of recycling, including--
                            ``(i) removal of electronic scrap and low-
                        speed electric vehicles from landfill and 
                        general recycling waste streams;
                            ``(ii) extraction of energy storage systems 
                        from electronic scrap and low-speed electric 
                        vehicles;
                            ``(iii) extraction, recovery, and reuse of 
                        energy critical materials from energy storage 
                        systems;
                            ``(iv) extraction, recovery, and reuse of 
                        energy storage systems, and energy critical 
                        materials from energy storage systems, within 
                        electric motor vehicles;
                            ``(v) improving the recyclability of energy 
                        storage systems and products containing energy 
                        storage systems; and
                            ``(vi) safe disposal of energy storage 
                        systems, including waste materials and 
                        components recovered during the recycling 
                        process; and
                    ``(B) research on and analysis of non-technical 
                barriers to improve the collection and recycling of 
                energy storage systems containing energy critical 
                materials, including strategies to improve consumer 
                education of, acceptance of, and participation in, the 
                recycling of energy storage systems; and
                    ``(C) research on and analysis of technologies and 
                methods to mitigate environmental impacts that arise 
                from recycling energy storage systems, including 
                disposal of toxic reagents and byproducts related to 
                recycling processes.
            ``(4) Environmental stewardship.--The Secretary shall seek 
        to ensure that any activity receiving funding under this 
        program--
                    ``(A) does not release toxic byproducts into the 
                environment;
                    ``(B) sufficiently minimizes potential fire risk--
                            ``(i) in facilities where energy storage 
                        systems are stored; and
                            ``(ii) in the transportation of energy 
                        storage systems; and
                    ``(C) protects the health and safety of all persons 
                involved in or in proximity to such activity.
            ``(5) Report to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the 
        date of enactment of this subsection, and every 3 years 
        thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on 
        Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives 
        and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate 
        a report summarizing the activities, findings, and progress of 
        the program.''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--The United States Energy 
Storage Competitiveness Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17231) is amended in 
subsection (p)--
            (1) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (2) in paragraph (6), by striking the period and inserting 
        ``; and''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(7) the research, development, and demonstration program 
        under subsection (q) $22,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 
        through 2025.''.
                                 <all>