The bill establishes a program to identify and recover critical materials from contaminated sites, with a cap of $10,000,000 in total assistance per fiscal year and $3,000,000 for individual entities. It outlines evaluation criteria for assisting entities and emphasizes national security, remediation support, and environmental protection. The term "critical material" is defined, and the program will terminate 10 years after enactment. The program aims to utilize domestic sources, advance recovery methods, and strengthen national security through the development of critical material supply chains.
Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative Authorization Act of 2026 or the EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026
This provides statutory authority for an initiative within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that recovers critical materials from contaminated sites.
A critical material means (1) any non-fuel mineral, element, substance, or material that the Department of Energy determines has a high risk of a supply chain disruption and serves an essential function in energy technologies; and (2) any critical mineral. A critical mineral means any mineral, element, substance, or material designated as critical by the U.S. Geological Survey.
Under the program, the EPA must investigate, evaluate, and support processes, methods, and systems which may be used to identify sources of critical materials at contaminated sites and recover such critical materials from those sites. In carrying out the program, the EPA may provide assistance (e.g., awards) to persons, nonprofit organizations, and state, local, and tribal government entities.
The bill prohibits the EPA from providing assistance (1) in an amount that exceeds $10 million in any fiscal year in the aggregate; or (2) to any person, nonprofit organization, or government entity, in an amount that exceeds $3 million.
The bill terminates the program after 10 years.
