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A4041
ASSEMBLY, No. 4041
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 12, 2026
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman� ALEX SAUICKIE
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
���� Establishes �Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Task
Force� to study ways to safely store, reuse, recycle, and dispose of used
electric vehicle batteries.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
establishing the �Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling
Task Force.�
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� a.� There is established
in the Department of Environmental Protection the �Electric Vehicle Battery
Recycling Task Force.�� The task force shall study ways to store, collect,
reuse, recycle, and properly dispose of used electric vehicle batteries using
environmentally sound management practices.� The task force shall, at a
minimum:
���� (1)�� examine current data and
research related to the storage, collection, reuse, recycling, and proper
disposal of used electric vehicle batteries;
���� (2)�� analyze programs and
policies implemented in other countries to store, collect, reuse, recycle, and
properly dispose of used electric vehicle batteries including, but not limited
to, countries with extended producer responsibility requirements;
���� (3)�� compile data on current
recycling facilities within the State and region, including whether or not any
of the facilities currently recycle electric vehicle batteries, or can be
modified to accept electric vehicle batteries for recycling;
���� (4)�� develop a strategy for
the development of recycling infrastructure to support the recycling of
electric vehicle batteries;
���� (5)�� examine ways to improve
the safety and cost-effectiveness of recycling electric vehicle batteries;
���� (6)�� examine ways to reuse
used electric vehicle batteries for other second-life purposes after the used
electric vehicle batteries are no longer able to power an electric vehicle;
���� (7)�� provide information and
educational materials to the public, government, and industry about the
importance of storing and recycling electric vehicle batteries safely; and
���� (8)�� develop recommendations
including legislation, programs, and policies to improve the State�s recycling
of electric vehicle batteries.
���� b.� The task force shall
consist of 11 members as follows:
���� (1)�� the President of the
Board of Public Utilities, who shall serve ex officio, or a designee;
���� (2)�� the Commissioner of
Environmental Protection, who shall serve ex officio, or a designee;
���� (3)�� the Commissioner of
Transportation, who shall serve ex officio, or a designee;
���� (4)�� the following public
members, appointed by the Governor, with the advice and consent of the Senate:
���� (a)�� two members�
representing electric vehicle manufacturers;
���� (b)�� two members representing
recycling facilities with expertise in the handling or recycling of electric
vehicle batteries, if applicable;
���� (c)�� two members of the
academic community with expertise in electric vehicle battery technology; and
���� (d)� two members with
environmental expertise.
���� c.� The members of this task
force shall be appointed within 30 days after the effective date of this act.�
The task force shall organize as soon as practicable after the appointment of
the task force�s members.� The task force shall choose a chairperson from among
its members and a secretary who need not be part of the task force.� The
presence of six members shall constitute a quorum.
���� d.� The task force shall meet
regularly as the task force determines or at the call of the chairperson.� The
task force shall hold at least three public hearings in different parts of the
State and elicit testimony from the public at such times and places as the
chairperson shall designate.
���� e.� The members of the task
force shall serve without compensation.
���� f.� Any vacancies in the
membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original
appointment.
���� g.�
The
Department of Environmental Protection shall provide stenographic, clerical,
and other administrative assistance and professional staff as the task force
requires to carry out the task force�s work.� The task force shall be entitled
to call to the task force�s assistance and avail itself of the services of the
employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau,
commission, or agency as the task force may require and as may be available for
the task force�s purposes.
���� h.� The task force shall
report its findings and recommendations to the Governor and, pursuant to
section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 14 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature no later
than two years following the initial organizational meeting of the task force.
���� i.� As used in this section:
���� �Electric vehicle� means a
vehicle that derives all or part of its power from electricity supplied by the
electric grid, and that has a battery or equivalent energy storage device that
can be charged from an electricity supply external to the vehicle with an
electric plug.� "Electric vehicle" includes a plug-in hybrid vehicle.
���� �Electric vehicle battery�
means a rechargeable battery that is used to power the electric motor of an
electric vehicle.� �Electric vehicle battery� includes, but is not limited to,
lithium-ion batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, and lead-acid batteries.
���� �Plug-in hybrid vehicle� means
a vehicle that can be charged from a source of electricity external to the
vehicle through an electric plug, but is not exclusively powered by
electricity.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the submission of task
force�s report and recommendations pursuant to subsection h. of section 1 of
this act.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes in the
Department of Environmental Protection the �Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling
Task Force� to study ways to store, collect, reuse, recycle, and properly
dispose of used electric vehicle batteries using environmentally sound management
practices.� The task force would be required to, at a minimum:
���� (1)�� examine current data and
research related to the storage, collection, reuse, recycling, and proper
disposal of used electric vehicle batteries;
���� (2)�� analyze programs and
policies implemented in other countries to store, collect, reuse, recycle, and
properly dispose of used electric vehicle batteries including, but not limited
to, countries with extended producer responsibility requirements;
���� (3)�� compile data on current
recycling facilities within the State and region, including whether or not any
of the facilities currently recycle electric vehicle batteries, or can be
modified to accept electric vehicle batteries for recycling;
���� (4)�� develop a strategy for
the development of recycling infrastructure to support the recycling of
electric vehicle batteries;
���� (5)�� examine ways to improve
the safety and cost-effectiveness of recycling electric vehicle batteries;
���� (6)�� examine ways to reuse
used electric vehicle batteries for other second-life purposes after the used
electric vehicle batteries are no longer able to power an electric vehicle;
���� (7)�� provide information and
educational materials to the public, government, and industry about the
importance of storing and recycling electric vehicle batteries safely; and
���� (8)�� develop recommendations
including legislation, programs, and policies to improve the State�s recycling
of electric vehicle batteries.
���� The task force would consist
of 11 members, including, the President of the Board of Public Utilities, the
Commissioner of Environmental Protection, the Commissioner of Transportation,
and eight public members to be appointed by the Governor, with the advice and
consent of the Senate.� Of the eight public members:� two members would
represent electric vehicle manufacturers; two members would represent recycling
facilities, with expertise in the handling or recycling of electric vehicle
batteries if applicable; two members would be from the academic community with
expertise in electric vehicle battery technology; and two members would have
environmental expertise.�
The
members of the task force are to be appointed, and the task force is to
organize, no later than 30 days after the effective date of the bill.
���� The bill provides that
vacancies in task force membership would be filled in the same manner as the
original appointments. The members of the task force would serve without
compensation.� The bill directs the Department of Environmental Protection to
provide professional and clerical staff to the task force as necessary.
���� No later than two years after
the organization of the task force, the task force is to submit a report to the
Governor and the Legislature concerning the task force�s findings and
recommendations.
���� Millions of electric vehicles
have been sold in the United States during recent years.� This recent increase
in electric vehicle use, while positive for the fight against climate change,
has presented new environmental challenges, such as where and how to properly
dispose of used electric vehicle batteries.� Consumers of electric vehicles and
residents of this State do not have ready access to an efficient,
environmentally sound, and cost-effective collection method for the recycling
or disposal of used electric vehicle batteries.
���� In addition, lithium-ion
electric vehicle batteries, which are the most commonly used electric vehicle
batteries today, contain toxic chemicals that should not be placed into
landfills, since they could be hazardous, cause pollution, contaminate nearby soil
and water, and potentially explode if mishandled.� Many used electric vehicle
batteries also still retain up to 70 percent of their battery capacity when
they are no longer able to power a vehicle effectively.� For this reason, it is
cost-effective for these used electric vehicle batteries to be reused for
alternate purposes, such as home energy storage, power for streetlights, power
to back-up elevators, and solar energy storage, until they are fully expired of
their battery life prior to recycling or disposal.
���� In 2019, Chinese chemical
companies accounted for 80 percent of the world�s total output of raw materials
for advanced batteries.� China, a country with a dubious human rights and
environmental record, controls the processing of almost all of the critical
minerals, including lithium, cobalt, and graphite.
���� As the use of electric
vehicles continue to rise, it is increasingly important to study ways to
maximize the efficiency and longevity of electric vehicle batteries and develop
safe, cost-effective, and environmentally sound ways to recycle and dispose of
used electric vehicle batteries at end-of-life.