H.R. 6261: Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006

109th Congress · introduced 2006-09-29 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2006-09-29 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Gutknecht, Gil [R-MN-1] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006

Plain summary

Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in cooperation with the Secretary of Transportation, to: (1) review storage, transportation, tracking and packaging requirements as they pertain to mercury-bearing solid waste; and (2) promulgate regulations governing the tracking, storage, packaging, record keeping, and reporting on the shipments of mercury-bearing waste. Requires such regulations to ensure the ability to track the generation, treatment, and disposal of mercury wastes and require accountability for waste generators and treatment, storage, and disposal facilities to identify and document wastes and comply with treatment and disposal requirements. Requires the Administrator to promulgate packaging standards to prevent the release of mercury and mercury vapor during the transportation and storage of mercury-bearing wastes. Exempts from the standards wastes generated by households, until such wastes are received by a treatment, storage, or disposal facility. Provides for enforcement through compliance orders. Requires, with certain exemptions, that each person who generates any solid waste which consists of a device that contains mercury integral to its function: (1) take steps to insure that such waste is treated to reclaim the mercury; or (2) transfer such waste to another person who has accepted responsibility for such reclamation. Requires the Administrator to develop a voluntary compliance program to maximize the collection of mercury-containing exempted items. Requires the Administrator to re-evaluate the 100 kg/month exemption from hazardous waste standards for small quantity generators. Requires the treatment standards applicable to all hazardous waste containing mercury in concentrations of 260 mg/kg or more to require the recovery of mercury from such waste prior to land disposal using a technology approved by the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) limit the organic content of such waste that may be subjected to mercury recovery technologies; (2) limit the use of such technologies for radioactive wastes; (3) issue variances and exceptions to the required use of such technologies, based on feasibility of mercury recovery; and (4) revise such treatment standards to incorporate the capabilities of the most advanced available mercury recovery technologies. Authorizes appropriations for mercury programs.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Mercury Reclamation Act of 2006

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Rep. Gutknecht, Gil [R-MN-1] · 3 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Exemption: A rule that removes certain people, property or activities from a tax or requirement.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in House)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-109hr6261.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/109/hr>

Record fed-us-cong109-hr6261 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong109 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong109