U.S. House Passes CHARM Act to Recover Critical Minerals from Waste, Reducing Foreign Reliance
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 9617, the Coordinating and Harnessing America’s Recovery of Minerals (CHARM) Act, by voice vote. Introduced by U.S. Representative Gary Palmer, R-Alabama, and co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Paul Tonko, D-New York, the bipartisan legislation aims to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign sources for critical minerals. The bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a National Critical Mineral Recovery Strategy. This strategy will coordinate federal efforts to recover critical minerals from discarded materials, including mining waste, electronic waste, and coal ash, which are already present within the United States. The legislation emphasizes making greater use of domestic resources to bolster national security and economic power, rather than relying on traditional mining or foreign adversaries. The strategy will also examine existing federal programs, potential barriers to mineral recovery, and the environmental a...
