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General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1281
January Session, 2025
LCO No. 3759
Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT
Introduced by:
(ENV)
AN ACT CONCERNING A STUDY ON THE NEED FOR EXTENDED
PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY FOR SOLAR PANELS AND WIND
TURBINE BLADES.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (Effective from passage) The Commissioner of Energy and 1
Environmental Protection, in consultation with the Public Utilities 2
Regulatory Authority, shall study the need to establish extended 3
producer responsibility programs in the state for discarded solar panels 4
and wind turbine blades, respectively, to provide for the recycling and 5
potential reuse of the materials, including, but not limited to, rare 6
minerals and metals, used in the manufacture of such panels or blades. 7
Such study shall include, but need not be limited to, an assessment of 8
the volume and estimated weight of solar panels, for commercial and 9
residential installations in the state, that will reach the end of their useful 10
life in the next five-year period, as well as the number of wind turbine 11
blades for terrestrial and marine-based installations that are estimated 12
to be disposed of in the state during the same period. Additionally, such 13
study shall determine: (1) What procedures are currently used for the 14
collection, disposal and recycling of the components of such solar panels 15 Raised Bill No. 1281
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and wind turbine blades; (2) the availability of neighboring state or 16
regional extended producer responsibility programs for collaboration in 17
handling such collection, disposal and recycling of such panels and 18
blades; (3) the approximate costs to municipalities and residents of the 19
state pursuant to current procedures utilized for the collection, disposal 20
and recycling of such panels and blades in comparison to the estimated 21
costs to municipalities and residents of the state for such collection, 22
disposal and recycling pursuant to extended producer responsibility 23
programs for such panels and blades; and (4) the requisite: (A) 24
Collection facilities, (B) secondary markets, (C) financial structures, and 25
(D) agency oversight personnel for the establishment of extended 26
producer responsibility programs in this state for such solar panels and 27
wind turbine blades, respectively. Not later than February 1, 2026, the 28
commissioner shall submit a report, in accordance with the provisions 29
of section 11-4a of the general statutes, to the joint standing committee 30
of the General Assembly having cognizance of matters relating to the 31
environment on such study and any recommendations for legislation to 32
establish such extended producer responsibility programs. 33
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 from passage New section
ENV Joint Favorable