The Pesticide Harm Accountability Act amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act to clarify that state tort laws are not preempted by federal regulations regarding pesticide labeling and packaging. This change allows individuals who claim to have been harmed by pesticides to pursue legal action against manufacturers in state courts, even if the Environmental Protection Agency has approved the product's label without specific warnings. The bill also requires the EPA Administrator to submit a report to Congress within 180 days identifying any existing regulations or guidance documents that restrict these state-level claims and outlining steps taken to ensure compliance with the new law.
The Recycling Infrastructure and Data Accountability Act directs the Environmental Protection Agency to study the feasibility of creating a national database to track recycling facilities, material flows, and program performance. This study will identify regions with limited access to recycling services, catalog major waste and recycling facilities, and analyze economic barriers that hinder the development of new processing centers. If the EPA determines the project is viable, it must establish and maintain a publicly accessible online database within a year of submitting its final report to Congress. The bill aims to improve transparency and planning for recycling infrastructure without mandating specific construction projects or funding allocations.
The EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026 directs the Environmental Protection Agency to create a program that investigates methods for finding and recovering critical materials from contaminated sites. This initiative allows the EPA to provide funding to states, local governments, tribes, nonprofits, and private entities to support these recovery efforts and monitor environmental cleanup. The program is limited to a total of $10 million per year, with no single recipient receiving more than $3 million, and grants are evaluated based on their potential to strengthen domestic supply chains and protect human health. The authority to run this program will end ten years after the bill is enacted.
The Clean Ports for Commerce Act requires the Secretary of the Army to create an advanced plan before dredging materials known to contain PFAS chemicals. This plan must identify where the contaminated materials will be disposed of, outline steps to protect water quality and public health, and estimate any potential delays caused by these substances. The legislation directly impacts federal dredging projects and aims to ensure that cleanup operations are managed safely before they begin. By mandating these specific preparations, the bill seeks to address environmental and health risks associated with PFAS in port maintenance work.
The Brownfields Revitalization for a Better Tomorrow Act expands funding and support for cleaning up and redeveloping contaminated properties known as brownfields. It increases the maximum grant amounts available for site remediation and adds new criteria to prioritize projects located on former military bases or in small communities. The legislation also mandates regular audits of how federal funds are used, requires states to maintain public inventories of brownfield sites, and directs the EPA to provide technical assistance to organizations that have previously been unsuccessful in securing grants. Additionally, the bill authorizes new studies to evaluate the effectiveness of existing loan programs and to explore the feasibility of creating a larger loan program for complex cleanup projects.
This bill, known as the PFAS Cleanup Act, aims to address the health and economic costs of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances by introducing two main financial mechanisms. First, it imposes a 45% excise tax on the sale of PFAS chemicals by manufacturers, producers, and importers starting in 2027. Second, it creates a tax credit for public water systems that spend money removing PFAS from drinking water when contamination levels exceed EPA safety limits. The revenue from the tax is intended to help fund cleanup efforts, while the credit encourages water providers to remediate hazardous pollution.
The Sound Science Act of 2026 modifies the Toxic Substances Control Act to update how the Environmental Protection Agency evaluates and regulates chemical substances. The bill requires the use of technically feasible testing methods and mandates that risk assessments consider existing safety standards from other federal agencies like OSHA. It also introduces stricter scientific review processes, including mandatory in-person peer reviews and a requirement to consult with industry experts when setting worker protection rules. Additionally, the legislation ensures that agencies must consider relevant international test guidelines and provides specific timelines for interagency feedback on draft evaluations. These changes aim to standardize scientific practices and improve the consistency of federal chemical risk management.
This bill establishes the 6PPD Task Force, led by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, to address the environmental impacts of 6PPD, a chemical commonly used in tires. The Task Force will bring together experts from federal agencies, Tribal governments, the tire industry, and research institutions to improve data sharing and identify federal funding opportunities. Its key duties include researching 6PPD's effects on aquatic species and human health, developing safer alternatives, and recommending ways to expedite their testing and adoption. The Task Force will also share best practices for mitigating 6PPD runoff and identify other exposure pathways, submitting annual public reports to Congress on its findings and recommendations.
This bill, titled the Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2026, amends the existing Superfund law. It directly affects the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) management of hazardous waste cleanup sites by requiring new considerations related to climate change. Specifically, it mandates that when selecting a cleanup plan for a Superfund site, the EPA must consider potential threats from local natural disasters and extreme weather, including how climate change might exacerbate these hazards. Additionally, it requires the EPA to assess these climate-related impacts when regularly reviewing existing cleanup plans to ensure their continued effectiveness.
This bill, titled the "Preparing Superfund for Climate Change Act of 2026," amends the federal Superfund law, which governs the cleanup of hazardous waste sites. It requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to consider the potential threats from local natural disasters and extreme weather, including how climate change might exacerbate them, when selecting cleanup plans for hazardous waste sites. Additionally, the bill mandates that during the required five-year reviews of ongoing cleanups, the EPA must assess whether the chosen cleanup actions remain protective, taking these same climate-related hazards into account. This aims to ensure that Superfund cleanups are designed and maintained to withstand projected climate change impacts, affecting communities near these sites and the EPA's cleanup processes.