EPA's radioactive-material ban gets locked in law, closing loopholes

What it does

This bill requires the EPA to establish clear, protective rules for any new uses of phosphogypsum (a radioactive industrial byproduct) beyond its currently approved applications. It mandates that any new use must meet strict safety thresholds (no more than 9.1 excess cancer cases per 100,000 people), include detailed health and environmental monitoring, and be publicly disclosed. The bill codifies existing EPA health protections that have banned phosphogypsum from road construction since 1992 due to cancer and genetic damage risks from uranium and radium exposure.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is to codify and strengthen EPA's existing radioactive-material health protections by requiring transparent, case-by-case review with strict cancer-risk thresholds and public disclosure for any new phosphogypsum uses.

What the text implies

• The bill may constrain phosphogypsum reuse in emerging applications (e.g., cement, concrete additives) by raising the bar for EPA approval, potentially increasing disposal costs for phosphate fertilizer producers.
• Public disclosure of all phosphogypsum approvals and monitoring data may expose past or ongoing uses to litigation risk if historical exposure data becomes available.
• The 9.1-in-100,000 cancer-risk threshold is legally binding and cannot be waived; this removes EPA's discretion to approve higher-risk uses even in emergency or economic-hardship scenarios.
• Quarterly monitoring and leachate testing requirements impose ongoing compliance costs on any entity seeking to use phosphogypsum, potentially pricing out smaller or less-capitalized applicants.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens—especially construction workers, utility workers, and residents near phosphogypsum sites—gain stronger, more transparent protections against radioactive material exposure. The bill locks in EPA's existing cancer-risk threshold, requires public disclosure of approvals, and mandates environmental monitoring, reducing the risk of silent health harm from regulatory capture or industry pressure.

Who stands to gain

• environmental and public-health advocacy organizations
• occupational safety consulting firms
• environmental monitoring and testing services

Named in the bill

EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), Office of Radiation and Indoor Air, phosphogypsum, uranium, radium, Clean Air Act, 40 CFR 61.204, 40 CFR 61.205, 40 CFR 61.206

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jul 22, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 22, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $230,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 68 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.

Maxwell Frost, the sponsor, reported $315,100 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• League of Conservation Voters — $230,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.