102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2021 and 2022
HB5160

 

Introduced 1/27/2022, by Rep. Lawrence Walsh, Jr.

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act

    Creates the Electric Vehicle Recycling Act. Provides that, within 60 days after the Act's effective date, manufacturers of electric vehicles that contain hazardous components and batteries must begin to implement a collection program that facilitates the removal of hazardous components and batteries from end-of-life vehicles prior to the electric vehicles being flattened, crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for recycling and to collect and properly manage hazardous components and batteries in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act. Provides that, within 90 days after the Act's effective date, manufacturers of electric vehicles that contain hazardous components and batteries must submit to the Environmental Protection Agency an implementation plan that describes how the collection program will be carried out for the duration of the program. Requires the Agency to provide assistance to manufacturers in their implementation of the collection program. Contains provisions regarding violations and penalties under the Act and indemnification for manufacturers. Contains other provisions. Effective immediately.


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A BILL FOR

 

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1    AN ACT concerning safety.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the
5Electric Vehicle Recycling Act.
 
6    Section 3. Findings. The General Assembly finds that:
7        (1) A manufacturer of electric vehicles with hazardous
8    components or batteries, and any component with no
9    economical recyclable value that will end up in a landfill
10    in the State of Illinois, should be solely responsible, at
11    the manufacturer's expense, for proper removal, handling,
12    and recycling. This should include proper training,
13    ongoing education, and specialty equipment required, at no
14    expense, for a licensed auto recycler to complete the safe
15    removal of all hazardous components and batteries under
16    this Act.
17        (2) Hazardous components and batteries must be removed
18    when end-of-life vehicles are flattened, crushed, baled,
19    shredded, melted, or otherwise processed for recycling.
20        (3) Removing hazardous components and batteries from
21    end-of-life vehicles is an effective way to prevent them
22    from being released into the environment.
23        (4) It is in the interest of the residents of the State

 

 

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1    of Illinois to remove these hazardous components and
2    batteries from end-of-life vehicles.
 
3    Section 5. Definitions. In this Act:
4    "Agency" means the Environmental Protection Agency.
5    "Battery" means a container that cannot be reused, is
6deemed to be hazardous, and consists of one or more cells, a
7module, or any means of power storage in which chemical energy
8is converted into electricity and used as a source of power.
9    "Electric vehicle" has the same meaning as defined in
10Section 11-1308 of the Illinois Vehicle Code.
11    "End-of-life vehicle" means an electric vehicle that is
12sold, given, or otherwise conveyed to a vehicle recycler for
13the purpose of reselling its parts or for recycling.
14    "Hazardous component" means a component of an electric
15vehicle with any chemical, pollutant, waste, or substance that
16is classified or regulated under any environmental law as a
17hazardous substance, toxic substance, pollutant, or
18contaminant.
19    "Manufacturer" means a person who is the last person in
20the production or assembly process of a new electric vehicle
21that uses one or more hazardous components and batteries; in
22the case of an imported electric vehicle, the manufacturer is
23the importer or domestic distributor of the electric vehicle.
24"Manufacturer" does not include any person engaged in the
25business of selling new electric vehicles at retail or

 

 

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1converting or modifying new electric vehicles after the
2production or assembly process.
3    "Person" means any individual, partnership,
4co-partnership, firm, company, limited liability company,
5corporation, association, joint stock company, trust, estate,
6political subdivision, State agency, or any other legal
7entity, or its legal representative, agent, or assign.
8    "Removal" means removing any number of hazardous
9components or batteries from an end-of-life vehicle prior to
10the vehicle being flattened, crushed, baled, shredded, or
11otherwise processed for recycling or that are available to be
12removed from an end-of-life vehicle that is flattened,
13crushed, shredded, or otherwise processed for recycling.
14    "Scrap processor" means a person who engages in the
15business of shredding or otherwise processing end-of-life
16vehicles or other scrap metal into prepared grades and whose
17principal product is scrap iron, scrap steel, or nonferrous
18metallic scrap for sale or for remelting purposes.
19    "Vehicle recycler" means a person who engages in the
20business of acquiring, dismantling, removing parts from, or
21destroying 6 or more end-of-life vehicles in a calendar year
22for the primary purpose of reselling the vehicles' parts.
 
23    Section 10. Removal requirements.
24    (a) Hazardous components and batteries and that come from
25end-of-life vehicles must be managed in accordance with the

 

 

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1Environmental Protection Act and any rules and regulations
2adopted thereunder.
3    (b) No person shall represent that all hazardous
4components and batteries have been removed from an electric
5vehicle if hazardous components and batteries have not been
6removed from the electric vehicle, except where a hazardous
7component or battery cannot be removed from the electric
8vehicle because it is inaccessible due to significant damage
9to the electric vehicle in the area surrounding a hazardous
10component or battery.
11    (c) Consistent with the protection of confidential
12business information, vehicle recyclers who remove hazardous
13components and batteries from end-of-life vehicles must
14maintain records documenting the removal and disposal of the
15hazardous components and batteries as set forth by the
16manufacturers' collection program established under Section
1715, including, but not limited to, the make and model of each
18car from which one or more hazardous components or batteries
19are removed by a vehicle recycler.
20    The records required under this subsection must be
21retained at the vehicle recycler's place of business for a
22minimum of 3 years and made available for inspection and
23copying by the Agency during normal business hours.
 
24    Section 15. Hazardous components and battery collection
25program.

 

 

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1    (a) Within 60 days after the effective date of this Act,
2manufacturers of electric vehicles that contain hazardous
3components, nonrecyclable components, or batteries must begin
4implementing a program that facilitates the removal of
5hazardous components and batteries from end-of-life vehicles
6prior to the vehicles being flattened, crushed, shredded, or
7otherwise processed for recycling and to collect and properly
8manage hazardous components and batteries in accordance with
9the Environmental Protection Act and any rules and regulations
10adopted thereunder. In order to ensure that hazardous
11components and batteries are removed and collected in a safe
12and consistent manner, manufacturers must provide training and
13certification, at no expense, to licensed vehicle recyclers in
14accordance with the Illinois Vehicle code for end-of-life
15vehicle recycling infrastructure. The collection program must
16be designed to comply with the following:
17        (1) Develop and provide educational materials that
18    include guidance as to which electric vehicles may contain
19    hazardous components and batteries and procedures for
20    locating and removing them for proper recycling, as set
21    forth by the manufacturers. The educational materials may
22    include, but are not limited to, brochures, fact sheets,
23    and videos.
24        (2) Conduct outreach activities to encourage vehicle
25    recyclers to participate in the recycling program. The
26    activities may include, but are not limited to, direct

 

 

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1    mailings, workshops, and site visits.
2        (3) Provide storage containers to participating
3    vehicle recyclers and vehicle crushers for proper
4    collection under the program.
5        (4) Provide a collection and transportation system to
6    periodically collect and replace filled storage containers
7    from vehicle recyclers either upon notification that a
8    storage container is full or on a schedule predetermined
9    by the manufacturers.
10        (5) Establish an entity that will serve as a point of
11    contact for the collection program and that will
12    establish, implement, and oversee the collection program
13    on behalf of the manufacturers.
14        (6) Track participation in the collection program and
15    the progress of collections.
16    (b) Within 90 days after the effective date of this Act,
17manufacturers of electric vehicles that contain hazardous
18components and batteries must submit to the Agency an
19implementation plan that describes how the collection program
20under subsection (a) will be carried out for the duration of
21the collection program. At a minimum, the implementation plan
22must comply with the following:
23        (1) Identify the educational materials and procedures
24    that will assist, at no expense to vehicle recyclers, in
25    identifying, removing, and properly managing hazardous
26    components and batteries from end-of-life vehicles.

 

 

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1        (2) Describe the outreach program that will be
2    undertaken to encourage vehicle recyclers to participate
3    in the collection program.
4        (3) Describe how the manufacturers will ensure that
5    hazardous components and batteries removed from
6    end-of-life vehicles are managed in accordance with the
7    Environmental Protection Act and any rules and regulations
8    adopted thereunder.
9        (4) Describe how the manufacturers will collect and
10    document the information required under this Act.
11        (5) Describe how the collection program will be
12    financed and implemented.
13        (6) Identify the manufacturers' addresses to which the
14    Agency should send notice to the manufacturers of the
15    collection program. The Agency shall review the collection
16    program implementation plans it receives for completeness
17    and shall notify each manufacturer in writing if a
18    collection program implementation plan is incomplete.
19    Within 30 days after receiving a notification of
20    incompleteness from the Agency, the manufacturers shall
21    submit to the Agency an implementation plan that contains
22    all of the required information.
23    (c) The Agency must provide assistance to manufacturers in
24their implementation of the collection program required under
25this Section. The assistance shall include providing
26manufacturers with information about businesses likely to be

 

 

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1engaged in vehicle recycling, conducting site visits to
2promote participation in the collection program, and assisting
3with the scheduling, locating, and staffing of workshops
4conducted to encourage vehicle recyclers to participate in the
5collection program.
6    (d) Manufacturers subject to the requirements of this
7Section shall provide, to the extent practicable, the
8opportunity for trade associations of vehicle recyclers to be
9involved in the delivery and dissemination of educational
10materials, at no expense, regarding the identification,
11removal, collection, and proper management of electric vehicle
12batteries and hazardous components in end-of-life vehicles.
13    (e) The Agency shall provide notice under this Section by
14posting a statement on its website and by sending a written
15notice via certified mail to the manufacturers, subject to the
16requirements of this Section, at the addresses provided in the
17manufacturers' collection program plan under paragraph (6) of
18subsection (b).
19    (f) Beginning 30 days after the Agency first provides
20notice under this Section, the following shall apply:
21        (1) Vehicle recyclers must remove all hazardous
22    components and batteries from end-of-life vehicles prior
23    to delivering the vehicles to a scrap processor, provided
24    that a vehicle recycler is not required to remove
25    hazardous components or batteries that are inaccessible
26    due to significant damage to the vehicle in the area

 

 

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1    surrounding the hazardous components or batteries that
2    occurred prior to the vehicle recycler's receipt of the
3    vehicle, in which case the damage must be noted in the
4    records the vehicle recycler is required to maintain under
5    subsection (c) of Section 10.
6        (2) No vehicle recycler or scrap processor shall
7    flatten, crush, or otherwise process an end-of-life
8    vehicle for recycling unless all hazardous components and
9    batteries have been removed from the vehicle, provided
10    that hazardous components or batteries that are
11    inaccessible due to significant damage to the vehicle in
12    the area surrounding the hazardous components or batteries
13    that occurred prior to the vehicle recycler's receipt of
14    the vehicle are not required to be removed. The damage
15    must be noted in the records the vehicle recycler is
16    required to maintain under this Act.
17    (g) Manufacturers subject to the requirements of this
18Section must provide to vehicle recyclers the following
19compensation for all hazardous components and batteries
20removed from end-of-life vehicles on or after the date of
21notice provided by the Agency under this Act:
22        (1) For each hazardous component and battery removed
23    by the vehicle recycler, an amount based upon the
24    manufacturers' warranties, procedures, and the shop rate.
25        (2) The costs of the containers in which hazardous
26    components and batteries are collected and the costs of

 

 

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1    packaging and transporting hazardous components and
2    batteries off-site. Payment of this compensation must be
3    provided in a prompt manner.
4    (h) In meeting the requirements of this Section,
5manufacturers may work individually or as part of a group of 2
6or more manufacturers.
 
7    Section 20. Agency recommendations. Every 3 years the
8Agency shall make a recommendation to the General Assembly as
9to whether the compensation required under subsection (g) of
10Section 15 should be modified to ensure adequate compensation
11for the removal of hazardous components and batteries from
12end-of-life vehicles. In developing its recommendations, the
13Agency shall seek comments and information from interested
14persons, including, but not limited to, representatives of
15vehicle recyclers, vehicle manufacturers, and environmental
16groups.
 
17    Section 25. Submission to the Agency. All information
18required to be submitted to the Agency under this Act must be
19submitted on forms prescribed by the Agency.
 
20    Section 30. Investigation of violations; penalties.
21    (a) The Agency shall investigate violations of this Act.
22    (b) Any manufacturer that willfully or knowingly violates
23any provision of this Act or willfully or knowingly fails to

 

 

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1perform any duty imposed under this Act shall be liable for a
2civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for the violation and an
3additional civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each day the
4violation continues, and shall be liable for a civil penalty
5not to exceed $5,000 for a second or subsequent violation and
6an additional civil penalty not to exceed $1,000 for each day
7the second or subsequent violation continues.
8    (c) Any vehicle recycler or scrap processor who willfully
9or knowingly violates any provision of this Act or fails to
10perform any duty imposed under this Act shall be liable for a
11civil penalty not to exceed $250 for the first violation and a
12civil penalty not to exceed $500 for a second or subsequent
13violation.
14    (d) The penalties provided in this Section may be
15recovered in a civil action brought in the name of the People
16of the State of Illinois by the State's Attorney of the county
17in which the violation occurred or by the Attorney General.
18    Without limiting any other authority that may exist for
19the awarding of attorneys' fees and costs, a court of
20competent jurisdiction may award costs and reasonable
21attorneys' fees, including the reasonable costs of expert
22witnesses and consultants, to the State's Attorney or the
23Attorney General in a case where he or she has prevailed
24against a person who has committed a willful, knowing, or
25repeated violation of this Act. Any funds collected under this
26Section in an action in which the Attorney General has

 

 

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1prevailed shall be deposited in the Hazardous Waste Fund. Any
2funds collected under this Section in an action in which a
3State's Attorney has prevailed shall be retained by the county
4in which he or she serves.
5    (e) The State's Attorney of the county in which a
6violation occurs or the Attorney General may, at the request
7of the Agency or on his or her own motion, institute civil
8action for an injunction, prohibitory or mandatory, to
9restrain a violation of this Act or to require such other
10action as may be necessary to address a violation of this Act.
11    (f) The penalties and injunctions provided in this Act are
12in addition to any penalties, injunctions, or other relief
13provided under any other law. Nothing in this Act shall bar a
14cause of action by the State for any other penalty,
15injunction, or relief provided by any other law.
 
16    Section 35. Indemnification. Manufacturers subject to the
17requirements of this Act shall indemnify, defend, and hold
18harmless vehicle recyclers for any liability arising from the
19release from hazardous components and batteries after they are
20transferred under the manufacturers' collection program to a
21manufacturer or its agent, provided that it has been managed
22in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act and any
23rules and regulations adopted thereunder prior to the
24transfer.
 

 

 

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1    Section 40. Federal requirements. If the Agency determines
2that the requirements of this Act are no longer necessary
3because a federal program provides equal or greater protection
4to human health and safety and the environment in this State,
5the Agency shall submit a report of its determination to the
6General Assembly. In making its determination, the Agency
7shall seek comments or information from interested persons,
8including, but not limited to, representatives of vehicle
9recyclers, vehicle manufacturers, and environmental groups.
 
10    Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
11becoming law.