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Committee backs bill to require recycling in renewable‑energy decommissioning plans, adds effective date
Summary
The committee reported HB 621 favorably after adding DEQ‑aligned language and removing an owner‑pays decommissioning cost clause; sponsors and industry witnesses said solar and turbine components are largely recyclable and urged regulatory alignment and an effective date of Jan. 1, 2027.
Lawmakers on the House Natural Resources Committee voted to report House Bill 621 favorably after adopting amendments that align the bill with existing Department of Environmental Quality rules and remove a provision that would have required facility owners to pay all decommissioning costs.
Representative Coates said HB 621 directs owners to consider recycling decommissioned renewable‑energy equipment "to the extent practicable" and to incorporate recycling into decommissioning plans already required by statute. The sponsor agreed in committee to delete language that would have unconditionally required owners to bear decommissioning costs and accepted an effective date amendment the committee discussed for 01/01/2027.
DEQ testimony explained that many renewable components are already covered under the state’s universal waste and hazardous‑waste programs and that incorporating renewable equipment into existing rules encourages recycling rather than disposal under the stricter RCRA hazardous‑waste program. A DEQ staffer in the Hazardous Waste Permit Section said batteries, bulbs and certain electronics are often managed as universal waste to encourage recycling.
Industry testimony included Monique Gerhardt of the Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association and Sterling Clifford of JNCO Solar, who said manufacturers and recyclers are developing large‑scale recycling operations and that much steel and many panel components are recoverable; Clifford said up to 95% of the material in many panels can be recycled depending on damage and condition.
The committee adopted technical amendments specifying existing DEQ rules for recycling and an amendment removing the last sentence on page 1 that would have required facility owners to pay decommissioning costs; members added an effective date to allow time for implementation and regulatory alignment. The bill was reported favorably as amended.
