Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7523

Recycling Oil Waste for Critical Minerals

Spent Petroleum Catalyst Recycling and Critical Minerals and Metals Recovery Exemption Act

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

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Law

This bill directs the EPA to change its rules so that companies recycling old oil refinery materials don't have to follow strict hazardous waste laws meant for trash burners. It treats these facilities as recycling centers rather than waste incinerators.
The goal is to help companies extract vanadium—a metal used to make super-strong steel—from 'spent catalysts,' which are leftover materials from processing oil. This metal is essential for building bridges, power plants, and military equipment.
By making it easier and cheaper to recycle these materials in the U.S., the bill aims to reduce the country's dependence on foreign sources like China and Russia for critical minerals.
The bill argues that these recycling plants are already covered by the Clean Air Act, so the extra hazardous waste regulations are unnecessary 'red tape' that slows down domestic production.
If passed, the EPA would be required to issue these new rules quickly and skip the usual public comment period to speed up the process.

2 milestones2 actions

Feb 12, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced in House

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Spent Petroleum Catalyst Recycling and Critical Minerals and Metals Recovery Exemption Act

Bill NumberHR 7523

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

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