Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006

Bill: 109-hr-6261
Sponsor: Rep. Gutknecht, Gil [R-MN-1]
Introduced: 2006-09-29 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Authorization
Business records
Commerce
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental law enforcement
Federal-state relations
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Grants-in-aid
Hazardous wastes
Law
Lighting
Mercury
Packaging
Recycling of waste products
Standards
State laws
Storage
Transportation and Public Works
Transportation of hazardous substances

Summary:
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: 
Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Secretary of Transportation, to: (1) review storage, transportation, tracking and packaging requirements as they pertain to mercury-bearing solid waste; and (2) promulgate regulations governing the tracking, storage, packaging, record keeping, and reporting on the shipments of mercury-bearing waste. Requires such regulations to ensure the ability to track the generation, treatment, and disposal of mercury wastes and require accountability for waste generators and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities to identify and document wastes and comply with treatment and disposal requirements.
 
Requires the Administrator to promulgate packaging standards to prevent the release of mercury and mercury vapor during the transportation and storage of mercury-bearing wastes. Exempts from the standards wastes generated by households, until such wastes are received by a treatment, storage, or disposal facility.
 
Provides for enforcement through compliance orders.
 
Requires, with certain exemptions, that each person who generates any solid waste which consists of a device that contains mercury integral to its function: (1) take steps to insure that such waste is treated to reclaim the mercury; or (2) transfer such waste to another person who has accepted responsibility for such reclamation. Requires the Administrator to develop a voluntary compliance program to maximize the collection of mercury-containing exempted items.
 
Requires the Administrator to re-evaluate the 100 kg/month exemption from hazardous waste standards for small quantity generators.
 
Requires the treatment standards applicable to all hazardous waste containing mercury in concentrations of 260 mg/kg or more to require the recovery of mercury from such waste prior to land disposal using a technology approved by the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) limit the organic content of such waste that may be subjected to mercury recovery technologies; (2) limit the use of such technologies for radioactive wastes; (3) issue variances and exceptions to the required use of such technologies, based on feasibility of mercury recovery; and (4) revise such treatment standards to incorporate the capabilities of the most advanced available mercury recovery technologies.
 
Authorizes appropriations for mercury programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-10-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-09-29
text: Introduced in House