Electronic Waste Research and Development Act
Passed the House on April 22, 2009
Reported (as amended) by the Full Committee on March 25, 2009
Introduced in the House on March 18, 2009
Section 1. Short Title
Provides the short title of the legislation, the Electronic Waste Research and Development Act.
Section 2. Findings
Outlines the current background information on electronic waste and summarizes the challenges and concerns addressed by the legislation.
Section 3. Electronic Waste Engineering Research, Development, and Demonstration Projects
Directs the Administrator to provide grants through a competitive, merit-based process to be performed jointly with institutes of higher education, non-profit research institutions, or government laboratories, and at least one for-profit entity (i.e. manufacturers, designers, refurbishers, or recyclers) to find ways to manage electronic waste through reduction, reuse, and recycling, and make the findings of the research available to the public. The section requires a report to Congress within two years after enactment and every two years thereafter of the grants awarded and a list of the projects and their findings.
For the activities in Section 3, the bill authorizes $18,000,000 for FY2010; $20,000,000 for FY2011; and $22,000,000 for FY2012.
Section 4. National Academy of Sciences Report on Electronic Waste
Directs the Administrator to arrange a study by the National Academy of Sciences to look at the barriers and opportunities available to reduce electronic waste, reduce the use of hazardous materials in electronic products, and enable product design for efficient re-use and recycling.
Section 5. Engineering Curriculum Development Grants
Directs the Administrator to provide grants through a competitive, merit-based process to institutions of higher education and community colleges to develop curriculum and other training for relevant engineering undergraduate students to introduce them to topics related to electronic waste, recycling, and environmentally friendly design of electronic products. Also directs the Administrator to offer grants to institutions of higher education and community colleges to provide continuing education of professionals in the electronics manufacturing, design, refurbishing, or recycling industries to educate them about new technologies, techniques, or best practices related to electronic waste, recycling, and environmentally friendly design of electronic products.
For these activities, the bill authorizes $5,000,000 for FY2010; $5,150,000 for FY2011; and $5,304,000 for FY2012.
Section 6. Environmentally Friendly Alternative Materials Physical Property Database
Directs the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish a physical property database for green alternative materials for use in electronic products.
For this activity, the bill authorizes $3,000,000 for FY2010; $3,000,000 for FY2011; and $3,000,000 for FY2012.
Section 7. Definitions
Defines the terms Administrator as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency; a consortium; the term electronic waste; an institution of higher learning; and the Director as the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
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