Skip to main content
H.R. 9616 119th Congress House

EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026

Official title: To establish a program for the recovery of critical materials from contaminated sites, and for other purposes.

Introduced: July 9, 2026 Introduced by: August Pfluger Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
Energy Environmental assessment, monitoring, researchEnvironmental technologyHazardous wastes and toxic substancesLand use and conservation
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Strategic materials and reservesTechnology assessment
 Everywhere this bill has been 17 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 16, 2026
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:26 PM EDT
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:26 PM EDT
On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote. (text: CR H5682)
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:26 PM EDT
Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:19 PM EDT
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H.R. 9616.
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:19 PM EDT
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H5682-5683)
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:19 PM EDT
Mr. Guthrie moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
Sep 14, 2026
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 720.
Sep 14, 2026
Reported by the Committee on Energy and Commerce. H. Rept. 119-821.
Jul 21, 2026
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 48 - 0.
Jul 21, 2026
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Jul 20, 2026
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Jul 14, 2026
Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held
Jul 14, 2026
Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote.
Jul 9, 2026
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jul 9, 2026
Introduced in House
Jul 9, 2026
Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment.
 Ask about this bill AI · grounded in the bill text

Have a question about what this bill does? Ask in plain English; the answer is drawn from the bill's actual text and official record, and it'll tell you when something isn't in the text rather than guess.

AI answers can be imperfect; always confirm against the full bill text.

What's happening now September 16, 2026

Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative Authorization Act of 2026 or the EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026

This provides statutory authority for an initiative within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recovers critical materials from contaminated sites.

A critical material means (1) any non-fuel mineral, element, substance, or material that the Department of Energy determines has a high risk of a supply chain disruption and serves an essential function in energy technologies; and (2) any critical mineral. A critical mineral means any mineral, element, substance, or material designated as critical by the U.S. Geological Survey.

Under the program, the EPA must investigate, evaluate, and support processes, methods, and systems which may be used to identify sources of critical materials at contaminated sites and recover such critical materials from those sites. In carrying out the program, the EPA may provide assistance (e.g., awards) to persons, nonprofit organizations, and state, local, and tribal government entities.

The bill prohibits the EPA from providing assistance (1) in an amount that exceeds $10 million in any fiscal year in the aggregate; or (2) to any person, nonprofit organization, or government entity, in an amount that exceeds $3 million.

The bill terminates the program after 10 years.

 Hearings & markups 2
 Bill text 4 versions

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
 Lobbying activity 6

Registered lobbyists who named this bill in their disclosure filings. Source: federal Lobbying Disclosure Act filings.

Bodies those filers lobbied

A filing lists the bills it worked on and the parts of government it contacted in separate sections, so these are the bodies those filers named anywhere in the filing, not a per-bill breakdown.

Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 9616: EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026. 119th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-9616/
MLA
"H.R. 9616: EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026." 119th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-9616/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 9616, 119th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-9616/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 9616: EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026](https://openamerica.io/bill/119-HR-9616/)
Report a problem