EPA funds cleanup of toxic sites and recovers valuable metals

What it does

The bill lets the EPA start a 10-year program. It gives money to clean up polluted industrial sites. The program pulls valuable metals and minerals from the waste. Grants and contracts go up to $10 million per year. Each project gets up to $3 million. Projects must help the U.S. get more of its own metals and minerals.

Who it affects

Companies that clean up polluted sites get money to do the work. States and local governments that manage cleanup projects benefit. The public gains from cleaner land and less pollution.

One thing to notice

The program lasts 10 years and then ends. Congress must vote to keep it going. The bill does not promise money each year. Actual funding depends on yearly budget votes.

From the analysis of the bill text, linked under Primary records below.

Where it stands

1 cosponsor: 1 Democrats.

• Jul 9, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Jul 9, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce”
• Jul 14, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Jul 21, 2026 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 48 - 0”
• Sep 15, 2026 — Passed the House · Congress.gov: “On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote”
• Sep 15, 2026 — Floor vote scheduled · Congress.gov: “Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill”

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

Money around this bill

1 groups reported lobbying about this bill. They filed 1 reports from Jun 2026 to Jun 2026.

Those reports show $660,000 in lobbying spending. Each report lists about 66 bills. So that money was not all for this bill.

More groups named this bill than 0% of bills with any report.

August Pfluger, who sponsored the bill, received $1,092,825 from PACs for the 2026 election.

• Americans for Prosperity — $660,000 in 1 report

Lobbying is legal. These reports show who lobbied about this bill, not what changed.

Words to know

• grants — Money the government gives to groups to do specific work
• contracts — Agreements where the government pays companies to do a job
• polluted industrial sites — Factories and work areas that have toxic waste or harmful chemicals
• lobbying — Trying to influence lawmakers about a bill. Companies and groups pay people to do this.
• PACs — Groups that collect money and give it to candidates for office.
• sponsored — To sponsor a bill is to introduce it in Congress and put your name on it.