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Committee splits over producer-funded battery recycling plan after long debate
Summary
The House Finance Committee debated HB 16002, a producer-funded battery collection and recycling proposal aimed at reducing lithium-battery fires and recovering critical minerals. Supporters argued it protects public safety and supply chains; opponents raised drafting errors, municipal impacts and upfront costs; committee votes were narrow and divided.
Representative Ael urged the Finance Committee to back HB 16002, saying the bill would create “an effective, free battery collection and recycling system” for the state and would help recover critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt for domestic supply chains.
The bill would require battery producers to organize and fund a statewide system to collect portable and certain rechargeable batteries (excluding vehicle batteries and permanently embedded cells). Supporters, including the state firefighter associations and some waste-management officials, told the committee that better…
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