Happy Valley Times

HARRISBURG—Today, six Republican state representatives introduced a package of bills aimed at recovering Earth’s critical elements from former industrial sites in Pennsylvania. The initiative is designed to create family-sustaining jobs, secure domestic access to critical industrial inputs, and remediate past environmental degradation.

Among the sponsors of the bills are: Rep. Mike Armanini, who seeks to update the tax structure to reflect the economic realities of element reclamation; Rep. Brian Smith, who aims to extend protections to property owners with mine waste; Rep. Jonathan Fritz, who wants to establish a permit program for new technologies; Rep. David Rowe, who aims to prevent taxpayer money from being used for electric vehicles with components from forced labor; Rep. Kristin Marcell, who plans to leverage existing industrial site reuse programs; and Rep. Jamie Barton, who looks to leverage the Energy Development Authority for financial assistance.

Earth’s critical elements, including cobalt, indium, lithium, manganese, and zinc, are essential components in various modern technologies. Representative Armanini emphasized the importance of this legislation, stating, "The reliability of our modern supply chain requires reliable access to Earth’s critical elements from Pennsylvania." He further expressed hope that his colleagues would support the use of waste products from Pennsylvania's industrial past to fuel future technologies.

The critical element recovery process in Pennsylvania aims to be fair, safe, and beneficial to local communities, aligning with the cleanup of former industrial sites. This initiative is crucial for reducing reliance on other countries for these essential elements and ensuring responsible sourcing and processing methods domestically.