Committee adds recyclers to EV‑battery working group, extends reporting to 2027 after Redwood Materials testimony
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Summary
Lawmakers amended HB242 to add a battery‑storage industry member and a recycler with EV‑battery experience to the working group, to include stationary energy storage among study factors, and to extend the group's reporting deadline to 2027 after testimony from Redwood Materials and other stakeholders.
The House Committee on Energy & Environmental Protection on Feb. 6 adopted amendments to House Bill 242 to broaden the membership of a working group on end‑of‑life management and recycling of electric‑vehicle batteries. The committee accepted recommendations from the Hawaii State Energy Office and Redwood Materials to include a battery‑storage industry representative and a recycler with specific EV‑battery experience, and extended the working‑group reporting deadline to 2027.
Why this matters: Lawmakers said the state will likely need a coordinated system that readies used EV batteries for safe transport and final recycling. Adding downstream recyclers to the working group aims to ensure practical, operational perspectives are represented as the commission develops recommendations.
What witnesses said: Daniel Sotos of Redwood Materials, a lithium‑ion battery recycler, described his company as “the largest lithium ion battery recycler in North America,” and urged that the working group explicitly include specialized battery recyclers to reflect downstream partners involved in material recovery. He said that while final material recovery typically occurs out of state, “there's a robust secondary market of automotive recyclers” that can do preparatory work—making batteries safe for shipment—before final recycling.
The Department of Health’s Solid and Hazardous Waste Branch and Radius Recycling also stood in support of the measure, and the Hawaii State Energy Office recommended adding a private sector representative skilled in battery storage systems.
Committee action: The committee recorded the chair’s recommendation to pass HB242 with amendments. Adopted changes include adding a battery storage industry member and a recycler with EV‑battery experience to the working group, adding stationary energy storage as a study factor, and extending the reporting date to 2027. The effective date was defected to 07/01/3000 per committee practice. The committee’s roll call recorded the chair and vice chair and Representatives Kahalua, Kush and Quinlan voting aye; Representative Ward was excused.
Technical and implementation notes: Testimony and committee discussion clarified that Hawaii is unlikely to host complete end‑to‑end battery recycling capacity; instead, the state may rely on licensed automotive recyclers and out‑of‑state recyclers for final materials recovery after local facilities ready batteries for transport. Redwood Materials noted it recycles all lithium‑ion batteries, from small consumer devices to stationary energy systems, and said partnerships with automotive recyclers are already used to crate and ship batteries for final disposition.
Ending: The working group will include the newly added members and report back under the extended 2027 deadline; the committee forwarded the amended bill with a recommendation to pass.
