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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 11, 2021 09:17 AM |
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| From: | Representative R. Lee James |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Placing Solar Panels on the Controlled Device Recycling Act List of Covered Devices (Former HB 2197) |
| To encourage the preservation of our Commonwealth and the recycling of valuable materials Pennsylvania enacted the Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA) in 2010. This act mandates the recycling of computers, televisions, and other electronic devices that otherwise would populate our landfills. A glaring exception to the list of covered electronic devices within the CDRA are solar panels. Within the last few decades, the prevalence, efficiency, and utility of solar panels has continued to grow. The solar panels installed 20 years ago have reached the end of their lifespan, but that does not mean we must allow the expensive hardware, harmful chemicals, and rare earth elements within them to contaminate our soil and waste stream. The ability to easily recycle, reuse, or refurbish old solar panels and solar panel materials is far more extensive and lucrative than existing CDRA devices. Solar glass, rare metals, and expensive hardware have ample and ready means for reuse and recycling. Let us avoid the errors made in the past when new means of energy production rapidly expanded before all the possible risks to our population were accounted for. For these reasons I am introducing legislation to include photovoltaic modules (solar panels) within the list of items required for recycling by the CDRA. The costs of managing solar panel waste and recycling efforts should be placed on the manufacturer and installers, and should not be a burden placed on future generations of Pennsylvanians. Please join me in co-sponsoring this legislation to protect our citizens and environment. Previous Co-Sponsors: DUSH, PYLE, BROOKS, and ZIMMERMAN |
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Introduced as HB266