EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026
- Bill Number
- H.R. 9616
- Origin Chamber
- House
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 2
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2026-07-09: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Last Updated
- 2026-07-10T10:23:22Z
AI-Generated Summary
Purpose This legislation creates a new federal program to identify and recover critical materials from contaminated sites while supporting environmental monitoring and remediation efforts.
Key Provisions
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must establish and run a program to investigate and support methods for finding critical materials at contaminated sites and recovering them from contaminated media or solid waste.
- The EPA may provide assistance through contracts, cooperative agreements, and awards to individuals, state, local, or Tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations.
- Total assistance is capped at $10,000,000 per fiscal year, with no single recipient allowed more than $3,000,000.
- Applications for assistance are evaluated based on criteria including advancement of domestic critical material sources, support for recovery and monitoring technologies, national security benefits, remediation of sites (especially those on the National Priorities List), and protection of human health and the environment.
- "Critical material" is defined by reference to existing law in the Energy Act of 2020.
- The program ends automatically 10 years after the bill becomes law.
Significant Changes to Existing Law The bill adds a new, time-limited program to the EPA’s authorities, directing federal resources specifically toward recovering critical materials from contaminated sites while linking environmental cleanup with supply chain goals. No existing statutes are amended or repealed; this is a standalone authorization.
Potential Impacts
- Government agencies: The EPA gains new responsibilities for program administration, application review, and funding distribution, subject to annual and per-recipient spending limits.
- Citizens and communities: May see increased remediation at contaminated sites, potentially improving local environmental conditions and health protections.
- International relations: No direct effects; the focus remains on strengthening domestic supply chains for critical materials.
- Funding is modest and capped, limiting the scale of activities.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- The EPA (as program administrator).
- Applicants seeking assistance, including private entities, state/local/Tribal governments, and nonprofits.
- Owners and communities near contaminated sites, especially those on the National Priorities List.
- Industries involved in critical material supply chains and environmental remediation.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications The bill raises no apparent constitutional issues and operates within existing EPA regulatory authority. It emphasizes national security through domestic sourcing of critical materials and ties environmental remediation to that goal. The 10-year sunset provision ensures the program is temporary unless renewed by future legislation.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Rep. Pfluger, August [R-TX-11]
Cosponsors (1)
Recent Actions
- 2026-07-09: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- 2026-07-09: Introduced in House
- 2026-07-09: Introduced in House
Bill Versions
- Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative Authorization Act of 2026 — issued 2026-07-09 — PDF (4 pages)