HF4819

Purpose

• Provide funding for a state study to examine critical materials in Minnesota’s waste stream. The goal is to understand how these materials enter the economy, how much can be recovered, and how much exists in the waste stream.

Key Provisions

• Appropriation: In fiscal year 2027, money from Minnesota’s general fund is allotted to the Pollution Control Agency to conduct the study.
• Definition of critical materials: Materials are considered critical if they appear on the final 2023 Critical Materials List published by the United States Secretary of Energy in the Federal Register on August 4, 2023, as amended under the Energy Act of 2020 (section 7002).
• Reporting requirement: By October 1, 2028, the commissioner must share the study results with the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees that oversee environment policy and finance.

Study Scope and Requirements

• The study must include at least three components: 1) An estimate of the type and volume of products containing critical materials that enter Minnesota’s economy. 2) The amount of critical materials recovered from products through recycling or by using technological processes to extract and remove these materials from waste streams, with the goal of reconstituting them in a pure form that can be reused. 3) An estimate of the volume of products containing critical materials present in the waste stream in the state.

Timing and Delivery

• Timeline: Funding is for fiscal year 2027, and results must be delivered by October 1, 2028 to the specified legislative leaders.

Funding and Finance Implications

• This is a general fund appropriations-driven study, managed by the Pollution Control Agency, with the objective of informing future environmental policy and waste-management decisions.

Definitions and Legal References

• Critical materials: As defined by the final 2023 Critical Materials List from the U.S. Department of Energy.
• Governing references: United States Department of Energy, Federal Register (August 4, 2023), Energy Act of 2020 (section 7002).

Potential Impact

• The study could influence future Minnesota policy on resource recovery, recycling, and waste management by clarifying which materials are strategically important, how much can be recovered domestically, and how much is present in the waste stream.
• It may guide investments in technology and programs to capture and reuse critical materials, reducing reliance on imports and advancing material circularity.

Summary of Change

• The bill establishes a new, time-limited state study funded from the general fund and overseen by the Pollution Control Agency, with explicit reporting to legislative leadership, focused on critical materials in the waste stream and their economic and environmental implications.

Relevant Terms critical materials waste stream Pollution Control Agency general fund appropriation study Final 2023 Critical Materials List United States Secretary of Energy Federal Register August 4, 2023 Energy Act of 2020 section 7002 fiscal year 2027 Minnesota economy recycling extraction and removal of critical materials reconstituting in a pure form reporting deadline October 1, 2028 chairs and ranking minority members legislative committees with primary jurisdiction over environment policy and finance