Spent Petroleum Catalyst Recycling and Critical Minerals and Metals Recovery Exemption Act
Summary
What This Bill Does
This bill directs EPA to revise hazardous-waste regulations for spent petroleum catalyst recycling. Congress finds that vanadium and other critical minerals can be recovered domestically from spent petroleum catalyst, that such recovery supports steel, defense, infrastructure, and energy sectors, and that thermal treatment units and metallurgical units recover valuable materials rather than incinerating waste or producing energy. EPA must issue a final rule revising subtitle C regulations to expressly exempt units reclaiming valuable metals, including critical minerals such as vanadium, from spent hydrotreating catalyst K171 and spent hydrorefining catalyst K172 from Boilers and Industrial Furnaces requirements. The rule must clarify that the exemption covers roasters, furnaces, hydrometallurgical units, and transfer-based third-party metals reclamation, takes effect on Federal Register publication, and is issued without APA notice and comment.
Who Benefits and How
Petroleum refiners, catalyst recyclers, metals-recovery facilities, steel manufacturers, defense manufacturers, infrastructure manufacturers, and energy-sector manufacturers benefit because the bill lowers regulatory barriers for domestic vanadium and critical-mineral recovery from spent petroleum catalysts.
Who Bears the Burden and How
EPA must issue a final rule as soon as practicable without notice and comment. Environmental regulators and communities near recycling facilities may face reduced hazardous-waste procedural safeguards, while recycling units still rely on Clean Air Act title V permits and other air regulations cited in the findings.
Key Provisions
- States findings that spent petroleum catalyst recycling can recover vanadium and other critical minerals for steel, defense, infrastructure, and energy sectors.
- Requires EPA to revise Solid Waste Disposal Act subtitle C regulations for spent hydrotreating catalyst K171 and spent hydrorefining catalyst K172.
- Exempts qualifying metals-recovery units from Boilers and Industrial Furnaces requirements.
- Clarifies that roasters, furnaces, hydrometallurgical units, and third-party transfer-based reclamation can qualify.
- Requires the final rule to take effect upon Federal Register publication without APA notice and comment.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Requires EPA to exempt spent petroleum catalyst metals-recovery units from Boilers and Industrial Furnaces requirements and clarify transfer-based recycling exclusions for critical-mineral recovery.
Key Policy Areas
Energy, Environment, Manufacturing, Mining
Primary Purpose
Requires EPA to exempt spent petroleum catalyst metals-recovery units from Boilers and Industrial Furnaces requirements and clarify transfer-based recycling exclusions for critical-mineral recovery.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Petroleum refiners
- Catalyst recycling facilities
- Metals recovery facilities
- Steel manufacturers
- Defense manufacturers
- Energy sector manufacturers
Identified Costs
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Environmental regulators
- Communities near catalyst recycling facilities
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Mr. Balderson introduced the following bill; which was referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Catalyst recycling facilities, Steel manufacturers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "administrator"
- → Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
- "spent_catalyst"
- → Spent hydrotreating catalyst K171 and spent hydrorefining catalyst K172
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology