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September 15, 2026
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Download official House Record PDFReturn to issue contextMr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 9617) to amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy, and for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 9617
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the “Coordinating and Harnessing
America's Recovery of Minerals Act” or the “CHARM Act”.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL CRITICAL MINERAL RECOVERY STRATEGY.
(a) In General.—Subtitle B of the Solid Waste Disposal Act
(42 U.S.C. 6911 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the
following new section:
“SEC. 2009. NATIONAL CRITICAL MINERAL RECOVERY STRATEGY.
“(a) Strategy.—
“(1) In general.—The Administrator shall, in consultation
with the heads of other Federal agencies that the
Administrator determines to be relevant, develop and carry
out a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy (in this
section referred to as the `Strategy') for the purpose of
coordinating Federal efforts to recover critical minerals
from discarded materials.
“(2) Purpose.—In developing the Strategy under paragraph
(1), the Administrator, in consultation with the heads of
other Federal agencies described in paragraph (1), shall—
“(A) identify programs administered by, and authorities
of, the Administrator that
relate to the recovery of critical minerals from discarded
materials;
“(B) identify programs administered by, and authorities
of, the other relevant Federal agencies that relate to the
recovery of critical minerals from discarded materials;
“(C) identify, and consider for inclusion in the Strategy,
opportunities that expand the recovery of critical minerals,
as well as that address legal, technological, and other
barriers to recovering such critical minerals from discarded
materials;
“(D) identify, and consider for inclusion in the Strategy,
opportunities to recover critical minerals from discarded
materials that are mining waste or residuals or metal
processing waste;
“(E) identify discarded materials that are potential
sources of critical minerals;
“(F) identify potential critical minerals that may be in
discarded materials;
“(G) evaluate the role of recovered critical minerals, and
the sources from which such critical minerals were recovered
from discarded materials, in strengthening domestic supply
chains of critical minerals; and
“(H) identify opportunities to recover critical minerals
from discarded materials in a manner that minimizes risk to
human health and the environment.
“(b) Report.—
“(1) In general.—Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this section, and every 2 years thereafter, the
Administrator shall transmit to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of Representatives and Committee on
Environment and Public Works of the Senate, and make publicly
available, a report that contains the Strategy and a
description of activities carried out pursuant to subsection
(a).
“(2) Inclusion.—The Administrator shall include in the
report transmitted under paragraph (1) a description of—
“(A) any actions taken by the Administrator to facilitate
the recovery of critical minerals from discarded materials
pursuant to the Strategy;
“(B) any actions taken by another Federal agency, in
coordination with the Administrator, to facilitate the
recovery of critical minerals from discarded materials
pursuant to the Strategy;
“(C) any ongoing or planned actions by the Administrator
to facilitate the recovery of critical minerals from
discarded materials pursuant to the Strategy; and
“(D) any recommendations for legislation to support the
developing and carrying out of the Strategy.
“(c) Critical Mineral Defined.—In this section, the term
`critical mineral' has the meaning given such term in section
7002(a)(3) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C.
1606(c)(3)).”.
(b) Conforming Amendment.—The table of contents contained
in section 1001 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 2008 the
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Mrs. Fletcher) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.
{time} 1940
General Leave
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the legislation and to include extraneous material on H.R. 9617.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Kentucky?
There was no objection.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues, Environment Subcommittee Chairman Palmer and Ranking Member Tonko, for introducing H.R. 9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America's Recovery of Minerals Act, or CHARM Act.
recover critical minerals from discarded materials, such as mine waste, coal combustion materials, end-of-life electronics, and produced water.
The CHARM Act is a product of a lot of this work. This bill directs the EPA, in consultation with Federal agencies, to develop a national critical mineral recovery strategy in coordination with other Federal agencies. EPA already has the expertise in recovery of valuable materials from discarded materials, and the agency is well-positioned to lead these efforts.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to support the passage of this bipartisan legislation. I appreciate the hard work of Chairman Palmer and Ranking Member Tonko, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 9617, the CHARM Act, bipartisan legislation led by our committee's Environment Subcommittee Ranking Member Tonko and Chairman Palmer.
from our cell phones to clean energy technologies like solar panels and electric vehicles. As the world continues to invest in these technologies, the demand for these minerals will only increase.
critical materials, leaving us exposed to geopolitical supply chain risks. China currently possesses a stranglehold on much of the critical mineral supply chain and has already demonstrated a willingness to leverage this dominance by restricting exports to the United States and other countries. This poses serious economic and energy security risks.
problem. Looking at discarded materials like e-waste and other end-of- life products promotes resource efficiency, boosts resiliency, helps alleviate supply chain pressures, and reduces the need to mine new minerals.
carry out a national critical mineral recovery strategy to coordinate Federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials, tapping into an important domestic feedstock that is easily overlooked.
our domestic critical mineral supply chains. It will build on EPA's ongoing efforts under the bipartisan infrastructure law, without compromising the environment or public health.
landfills, never to be recovered. This must change if we want to remain globally competitive and reduce our dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals.
and recovery efforts, this is an important and commonsense step forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Palmer), the chairman of the Environment Subcommittee and my good friend who has been an absolute leader on the critical mineral issue. We have seen that most of them are developed and processed in China, and he has been waving the flag that we need to get ahead of that. We now have an administration and Congress moving forward because of the work of this man.
Mr. PALMER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Guthrie, for all of his help.
Mr. Speaker, I rise to speak in support of my bill, H.R. 9617.
critical minerals—the majority of which that our country needs is being imported—the United States depends on China as a major source for 14 of them.
has already demonstrated its willingness to leverage our supply chain vulnerabilities in recent years.
Tonko, and I, along with our colleagues on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment, have explored opportunities to identify untapped, nontraditional sources of critical minerals right here in the United States.
119th Congress. I thank my colleague, Ranking Member Tonko, again, for joining me in advancing this legislation.
with other relevant agencies to develop a national critical mineral recovery strategy. In furthering this strategy, EPA will identify its own programs and authorities that could increase recovery of critical minerals from discarded materials, as well as those at other Federal agencies.
barriers to recovering critical minerals from discarded materials. EPA will also identify potential sources of critical minerals in discarded materials and evaluate the role of these recovered materials in strengthening domestic supply chains.
bipartisan support, and I encourage my colleagues in the full House to support its passage.
Mrs. FLETCHER. Mr. Speaker, the bipartisan CHARM Act is an important and commonsense bill. I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. GUTHRIE. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the hard bipartisan work and can't overstate how important this is and how important the lead of the gentleman from Alabama has been on this issue. I strongly encourage a “yes” vote on this bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 9617.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.