NEWS: EPW Committee Unanimously Passes Brownfields, Recycling Legislation

February 6, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Yesterday, the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee unanimously passed theBrownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025,legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Brownfields program, and theStrategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act, legislation to improve our nation’s recycling and composting systems.
TheBrownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025wasintroduced by U.S. Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chairman of the EPW Committee,andtheSTEWARD Actwas introduced by Chairman Capito, and U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Ranking Member of the EPW Committee, and John Boozman (R-Ark.).
TheBrownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025:
“Cleaning up brownfield sites can be costly and burden our local communities,”Senator Blunt Rochester said.“TheBrownfields Reauthorization Actwill help us reduce environmental hazards, spur economic development, and support the health and safety of our people. I’m proud to lead this bill alongside Chair Capito, and I’m also honored to carry on the work previously championed by my predecessor, former Senator Carper. Delaware will benefit from this legislation, and I hope to see it signed into law.”
“Rural and underserved communities lack the resources needed to compete with larger entities, putting them in an unfair position. Our bill streamlines the application process to level the playing field. The legislation also modernizes the program’s grant amounts to match current construction costs and project sizes, aligning them with the reality of doing business today,”Chairman Capito said.
A one-pager of the legislation is availablehere.
TheSTEWARD Act:
“For too many Americans, recycling remains out of reach – either because facilities don’t exist in their communities or because the infrastructure to make recycling economically viable is not in place. TheSTEWARD Actaims to close these gaps by ensuring that recycling services are accessible to all communities. The bill also recognizes that, to solve a problem, you need to measure and understand it first. The data provisions in theSTEWARD Actwill empower decision-makers to track progress, identify areas for improvement, and make informed decisions that will drive real change in our nation’s recycling systems,”Chairman Capito said.
“We are living through a plastic pollution crisis: it’s accumulating in our food, in our water, and in our bodies, and it’s threatening people’s health,”Ranking Member Whitehouse said. “I’m proud to join Chairman Capito and Senator Boozman to lead theSTEWARD Act, which is an essential preliminary step in reducing the amount of plastics seeping into our bodies and environment. Recycling is a stopgap in the rising flood of plastic waste, and I look forward to working with my colleagues—on both sides of the aisle—to tackle this issue on all fronts.”
“Strengthening our commitment to recycling in order to preserve the resources we are blessed with, as well as spur economic growth and encourage industry innovation, benefits all Americans,”Senator Boozman said. “I am proud to see theSTEWARD Actadvance with bipartisan support as we continue our efforts to encourage sustainable recycling infrastructure systems and practices.”
A one-pager of the legislation is availablehere.
BACKGROUND:
TheBrownfields Reauthorization Actunanimously passed the EPW Committee last Congress inSeptember 2023. TheSTEWARD Actis the combination of theRecycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2023and theRecycling and Composting Accountability Act, which both unanimously passed the EPW Committee last Congress inApril 2023and passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent inMarch 2024.
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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.