Senate committee hears industry and recycler concerns on bill to add EV batteries to state stewardship program

The Senate Environment, Energy & Technology Committee held a public hearing on Senate Bill 5045, which would add electric vehicle (EV) batteries to Washington’s existing battery stewardship program and require producers to participate in and fund a stewardship organization for EV batteries beginning in 2029.

The bill’s sponsor and committee staff said the measure follows earlier 2023 battery stewardship work and would require producers to submit an EV battery plan to the Department of Ecology and provide statewide collection opportunities. Supporters and opponents at the hearing agreed on the need to manage end‑of‑life batteries safely, but stakeholders differed sharply on whether to fold EV batteries into the current stewardship structure.

Matt Sheppard, staff to the committee, told members that Washington already runs several producer responsibility programs and that the 2023 law created the state battery stewardship program with phased deadlines: a statewide collection system for some portable batteries by Jan. 1, 2027, and medium‑format batteries by Jan. 1, 2029. Sheppard said the bill would “incorporate EV batteries into the existing program,” require a plan for EV batteries within two years after Ecology adopts rules, and keep Ecology’s authority under the Hazardous…