U.S. Representative Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, introduced legislation to recover critical minerals from discarded materials that passed the House, sending the bill to the Senate as Congress considers ways to reduce the nation’s reliance on foreign sources for materials used in energy, manufacturing and national defense.
The House passed HR9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals Act, or CHARM Act, by voice vote Tuesday. Palmer introduced the bipartisan legislation with U.S. Representative Paul Tonko, D-New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Environment Subcommittee.
The legislation would direct the Environmental Protection Agency to develop and carry out a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy. The strategy would coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials and identify opportunities to increase domestic recovery.
Rather than focusing only on traditional mining, the bill looks at materials that are already present in the United States. The legislation specifically calls for the strategy to examine opportunities involving mining waste, electronic waste, coal ash and other discarded materials that could contain recoverable critical minerals.
The strategy would also examine existing federal programs and authorities, potential barriers to recovering minerals, the minerals that could be recovered from different sources and the effects that increased recovery could have on domestic supply chains. The bill requires the EPA to consider ways to minimize risks to human health and the environment as part of the strategy.
Palmer said the legislation is intended to make greater use of resources already available in the United States.
“America should not have to rely on China or other adversarial nations for the critical minerals that power our economy and strengthen our national security,” Palmer said.
The CHARM Act is one of three waste-related bills the House passed this week that address material recovery or management. Another bill, the Battery Recycling for America’s Competitive Economy Act, would direct the EPA to update federal rules for lithium-ion batteries and classify them as universal waste under federal hazardous waste regulations. A third measure would expand an EPA program focused on recovering critical materials from contaminated sites during environmental remediation.
Those measures are separate from the CHARM Act but share a goal of recovering materials that could otherwise be treated as waste. The battery legislation, for example, is intended to make it easier for recyclers to handle used lithium-ion batteries and recover materials such as lithium, cobalt, nickel and copper.
The CHARM Act’s immediate impact would be the creation of a coordinated federal strategy rather than a new mining or recycling program. The bill does not establish a new mandate requiring companies or consumers to recycle particular materials. Instead, it directs the EPA to identify opportunities, coordinate federal efforts and report to Congress every two years on activities carried out under the strategy.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the legislation would cost about $1 million over the 2026-2031 period, with spending subject to the availability of appropriated funds. CBO found no estimated change in direct spending or federal revenues from the bill.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee reported the bill in July after approving it 47-0. The measure was formally reported to the House in September before lawmakers approved it on the floor.
The bill now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers would have to approve it before it could be sent to the president.
