EPA must plan how to recover critical minerals from waste

What it does

The bill tells the EPA to make a plan. The plan covers getting critical minerals back from trash and waste. The EPA must find what programs already exist for this work. The EPA must find what stops mineral recovery and what helps it. Every two years, the EPA must report to Congress on progress and ideas.

Who it affects

Mining and mineral companies may find new ways to get minerals from waste. Makers of goods need critical minerals. They could get more minerals from the U.S. instead of other countries. Waste and recycling companies may have new work to do.

One thing to notice

Every two years, the EPA must report to Congress and the public. The report shows how the government recovers minerals from waste.

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: 47 - 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.

Gary Palmer, who sponsored the bill, received $479,500 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

• critical minerals — metals and elements that are hard to find and needed to make many products
• EPA — the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which makes rules about the environment
• 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.