H.R. 9616: Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative Authorization Act of 2026

This bill would direct the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a program focused on finding and recovering critical materials from contaminated sites.

What the program would do

• Support research and development of methods, systems, and processes to identify sources of critical materials at polluted locations, including contaminated soil, water, and solid waste.
• Support ways to recover those materials from contaminated sites.
• Include work on monitoring environmental contamination and remediating sites as part of the recovery process.

Who could receive support

The EPA could provide assistance through contracts, cooperative agreements, and grants to:

• Individuals and companies
• State, local, and tribal governments
• Nonprofit organizations

Limits on funding

• The program could provide no more than $10 million total per fiscal year.
• No single recipient could receive more than $3 million under the program.

How applications would be judged

The EPA would have to set up a process for reviewing applications, based on factors such as:

• Whether the project helps identify domestic, nontraditional sources of critical materials at contaminated sites
• Whether it improves methods for recovering those materials and monitoring cleanup
• Whether it helps build domestic supply chains for critical materials
• Whether it helps clean up contaminated sites, especially sites on the National Priorities List
• Whether it protects human health and the environment

Timing

The program would end 10 years after enactment.

Relevant Companies

None found