Industry witnesses urged reclassifying battery 'black mass' as a non-waste commodity to spur U.S. processing, while environmental and legal witnesses urged caution and stronger safety and collection measures such as EPR and minimum recovery rates.

A House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment hearing examined seven bills and discussion drafts to reduce regulatory barriers and grow U.S. capacity to recover critical minerals from batteries and legacy mine sites, while members debated safeguards, export rules and workforce needs.

Republican members and witnesses told a House Natural Resources subcommittee that the Equal Access to Justice Act has been exploited by well-funded environmental nonprofits to recover large attorney-fee awards and delay agency projects; Democrats and law professors countered that EJA remains essential for low-resourced plaintiffs and that safeguards limit frivolous claims.

Senator Whitehouse criticizes Republicans for suspending methane fee and easing regulations.

Senator challenges EPA's claims on individualized reviews of 781 grants based on testimony.