Senate’s EPW Committee passes brownfields, recycling legislation

On Feb. 5, the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee unanimously passed the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025, legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Brownfields Program, and the Strategies to Eliminate Waste and Accelerate Recycling Development (STEWARD) Act, legislation to improve our nation’s recycling and composting systems.

U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia), chairman of the EPW Committee, and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware) introduced the Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025, and Capito and Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island), ranking member of the EPW Committee, and John Boozman (R-Arkansas) introduced the Steward Act.

The Brownfields Reauthorization Act unanimously passed the EPW Committee last Congress in September 2023. The STEWARD Act is the combination of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2023 and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act, which both unanimously passed the EPW Committee last Congress in April 2023 and passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent in March 2024.

Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025

The Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025 would reauthorize and modernize the EPA's Brownfields Program through fiscal year 2030. The bill would streamline the application process that has historically limited small and underserved communities from accessing cleanup resources and would address cost-prohibitive barriers for these communities by helping smaller communities compete more effectively with larger entities that have more resources to absorb overhead costs, reducing the cost-share requirement from 20 percent to 10 percent and providing cost-share waivers for small and underserved communities.

The legislation also would update the program's grant amounts to match current construction costs and project sizes, aligning them with the reality of doing business today. It would double maximum site cleanup grants from $500,000 to $1 million, increase state program funding to $75 million annually by 2030 and improve competitive grant criteria to better align with local redevelopment needs.

“Rural and underserved communities lack the resources needed to compete with larger entities, putting them in an unfair position,” Capito says. “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.”

“Cleaning up brownfield sites can be costly and burden our local communities,” Blunt Rochester adds. “The Brownfield Reauthorization Act will 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 Sen. Carper. Delaware will benefit from this legislation, and I hope to see it signed into law.”

STEWARD Act

The STEWARD Act would establish the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program at the EPA to expand recycling access in underserved communities by authorizing strategic infrastructure investments and public-private partnerships. The pilot grant program would authorize competitive grant awards ranging from $500,000 to $15 million to support projects that enhance recycling infrastructure using a hub-and-spoke development model, prioritize communities with limited access to materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and support projects that increase transfer stations, expand curbside recycling programs and reduce collection and transportation costs.

The bill also would modernize recycling and composting data collection by establishing standardized metrics to assess and improve waste management systems nationwide. The bill would authorize the EPA to collect and analyze data on market trends, material processing rates and the effectiveness of curbside recycling programs, along with associated accessibility challenge, and establish new metrics to track material diversion from landfills, support voluntary data-sharing partnerships with states and provide technical assistance to state and local governments to improve recycling and composting rates. Finally, the bill directs the EPA to assess national composting potential, evaluating infrastructure, regulatory barriers, costs and industry trends.

“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,” Capito says. “The STEWARD Act aims 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 the STEWARD Act will 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,.”

“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,” Whitehouse adds. “I’m proud to join Chairman Capito and Sen. Boozman to lead the STEWARD 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,” Boozman says. “I am proud to see the STEWARD Act advance with bipartisan support as we continue our efforts to encourage sustainable recycling infrastructure systems and practices.”

Industry support

In late 2024, the Aluminum Association, Arlington, Virginia, and more than 60 trade associations, corporations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) sent a letter to congressional leaders calling for passage of the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2023 and the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act before the end of the year.

At that time, Aluminum Association President and CEO Charles Johnson said, “Increasing and improving recycling of all materials in the United States is good for the economy, the environment and our domestic supply chains. As major aluminum industry investments start to come online, it’s critical that our companies have the necessary material to support demand. From consumer packaging and automotive to infrastructure and defense applications, infinitely recyclable aluminum is strengthening our economy.”