Troy Balderson (R-OH)
Spent Petroleum Catalyst Recycling and Critical Minerals and Metals Recovery Exemption Act
A Republican bill with no cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the "Spent Petroleum Catalyst Recycling and Critical Minerals and Metals Recovery Exemption Act," aims to secure domestic sources of vanadium. It seeks to ensure a supply of this critical mineral for the United States' steel, infrastructure, energy, and defense needs. The legislation directs the Environmental Protection Agency to revise regulations under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Specifically, it aims to exempt units that reclaim valuable metals from spent petroleum catalyst from certain "Boilers and Industrial Furnaces" requirements. This is intended to reduce reliance on foreign sources like China and Russia.
Yes· 3 of 5
- Scored +4
Would business owners be better off under this?
The bill reduces regulatory burdens and provides exemptions for industrial metal recovery units.
- Scored +3
Is this likely to create jobs?
The bill aims to encourage domestic recovery of metals to support the steel, energy, and defense sectors.
- Scored +2
Does this make it easier to run a small business?
The bill reduces regulatory burdens for units recovering valuable metals from spent petroleum catalyst.
The opposite
- Scored -4
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill mandates that the EPA carry out rulemaking without regard to standard notice and comment requirements.
- Scored -3
Does this better protect air, water and wildlife?
The bill bypasses standard notice and comment requirements for EPA rulemaking, which may reduce public environmental oversight.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Increased National Security and Economic Resilience: By ensuring a supply of vanadium for domestic manufacturing and defense industries, the bill aims to protect the United States from strategic supply-chain threats from foreign economic and military enemies (Section 2, Paragraph 1).
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Support for Key Industries: The bill seeks to secure minerals necessary for the steel, infrastructure, energy, and defense sectors (Section 2, Paragraph 1).
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Creation of an Affordable and Sustainable Supply: Clarifying regulations is intended to encourage the domestic recovery of metals to ensure access to an affordable, resilient, and sustainable supply of processed critical minerals (Section 2, Paragraph 6).
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Reduction of Regulatory Burdens: The bill aims to avoid unnecessary regulatory burdens on units that recover vanadium and other metals from spent petroleum catalyst (Section 2, Paragraph 6; Section 3, Paragraph (a)(1)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Potential for Regulatory Change: The bill requires the EPA Administrator to promulgate a final rule to revise regulations regarding the Solid Waste Disposal Act (Section 3, Paragraph (a)).
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Circumvention of Standard Rulemaking Processes: The required rulemaking is to be carried out without regard to the standard notice and comment requirements found under section 553 of title 5, United States Code (Section 3, Paragraph (a)(2)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to create jobs? — The bill aims to encourage domestic recovery of metals to support the steel, energy, and defense sectors. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill reduces regulatory burdens for units recovering valuable metals from spent petroleum catalyst.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill reduces regulatory burdens and provides exemptions for industrial metal recovery units.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates that the EPA carry out rulemaking without regard to standard notice and comment requirements.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this repair or build roads and bridges? — The bill secures vanadium necessary for the infrastructure sector mentioned in the text. Does this better protect air, water and wildlife? — The bill bypasses standard notice and comment requirements for EPA rulemaking, which may reduce public environmental oversight.
- National Security And Foreign Policy
- Does this increase the pay, pensions or support veterans receive? — Securing vanadium helps ensure the stability of the defense industry mentioned in the bill.
- 2/12/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.