H.R. 4215: Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2015

114th Congress · introduced 2015-12-10 · Environmental Protection · Latest: Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy.

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Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2015-12-10 · official record
Who proposed it: Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17] · 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 the Economy. 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

Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2015

Plain summary

CLEANER Act of 2015 or the Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2015 This bill amends the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act to eliminate the exemption for waste derived from the exploration, development, or production of crude oil, natural gas, or geothermal energy from regulations governing the disposal of hazardous waste. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must: determine whether waste associated with oil, gas, or geothermal energy activities meet the criteria promulgated for the identification or listing of hazardous waste; identify or list as hazardous waste any of those wastes if they meet the identification or listing criteria; and promulgate regulations regarding standards applicable to generators, transporters, and owners and operators of facilities for the treatment, storage, or disposal of those wastes. The EPA may modify the regulation of those standards to consider the special characteristics of those wastes so long as the modified regulations protect human health and the environment. Within a year of this bill's enactment, the EPA must promulgate revisions of certain criteria concerning landfills and waste management practices of open dumping for facilities that may receive wastes that are: (1) associated with those activities, and (2) not identified or listed as hazardous waste. Those revisions must: protect human health and the environment, while allowing consideration of the practicable capability of such facilities; and require groundwater monitoring as necessary to detect contamination; establish criteria for the acceptable location of new or existing facilities; and provide for corrective action and financial assurance as appropriate.

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

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What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Closing Loopholes and Ending Arbitrary and Needless Evasion of Regulations Act of 2015

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. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17] · 101 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Kathy Castor (D-FL), Katherine M. Clark (D-MA), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Suzan K. DelBene (D-WA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. (D-GA), William R. Keating (D-MA), Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (D-VA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Judy Chu (D-CA), Yvette D. Clarke (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Doris O. Matsui (D-CA), Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Janice D. Schakowsky (D-IL), Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA) and 41 more.

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 (4)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Bill: A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
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-114hr4215.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/114/hr>

Record fed-us-cong114-hr4215 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong114 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong114