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S 2283

An Act promoting responsible end-of-life management for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Barry Finegold

Requires responsible end-of-life management for vehicle traction batteries, prioritizing reuse and recycling, prohibiting landfill disposal, with reporting and oversight.

Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means
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Bill Summary · S 2283

Summary — S.2283

Title: An Act promoting responsible end-of-life management for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries

Note on source material
- The materials provided include two distinct texts both labeled “S.2283”: (1) a short federal bill designating a U.S. Post Office in Guthrie, OK as the “Oscar J. Upham Post Office,” and (2) a Massachusetts state bill (Senate Docket No. 2366 / Senate No. 2283) titled “An Act promoting responsible end-of-life management for electric and hybrid vehicle batteries.” This summary focuses on the Massachusetts battery bill (the longer text and the stated title), and notes the postal-designation text is unrelated to the battery policy.

Purpose and intent

  • To require responsible end-of-life management for vehicle traction batteries (batteries that power electric or hybrid vehicles) in order to promote reuse, repair, remanufacture, repurposing and recycling, to prevent disposal in landfills, and to improve oversight and materials recovery.

Key definitions (selected)

  • Battery / Vehicle traction battery: battery designed to store and deliver electric energy to propel an electric or hybrid vehicle.
  • Battery management hierarchy: preference order — reuse, repair, remanufacture, repurpose, then recycling; recycling preferred over disposal.
  • Battery provider: the initial seller/distributor of vehicle traction batteries in the Commonwealth (includes manufacturers, brand owners, importers, or, if none of those apply, the distributor/retailer).
  • Secondary handler / secondary user: entities that take possession of traction batteries for sorting, reuse, repair, remanufacture, repurposing, or preparing for recycling.
  • Specialized battery recycler: facility authorized by the Department of Environmental Protection (or equivalent in another state) that refines or extracts battery materials (excludes entities that only collect/transport or rely primarily on smelting).

Major provisions

  • Prohibition on landfill disposal: Disposal of vehicle traction batteries via landfilling is prohibited.
  • Obligations of battery providers:
    • Ensure end-of-life management for traction batteries in certain situations (e.g., removed under warranty or returned/offered back to the provider).
    • Apply the battery management hierarchy when handling batteries.
    • Coordinate with specialized battery recyclers to meet the law’s requirements.
    • Battery providers are not automatically liable for remanufactured/repurposed batteries unless they performed or contractually accepted responsibility.
  • Obligations of secondary handlers and secondary users:
    • Responsible for end-of-life management upon taking possession of batteries.
    • Must consider the battery management hierarchy and coordinate with specialized battery recyclers.
  • Reporting:
    • Battery providers, secondary handlers and secondary users must submit annual reports to the Department of Environmental Protection detailing quantities and types of end-of-life traction batteries managed.
    • Specialized recyclers may file reports on behalf of entities that send batteries to them.
  • Scope exclusions and processing standards:
    • “Specialized battery recycler” excludes entities primarily engaged only in collection/logistics or smelting-based processing; emphasis is on facilities that extract and refine battery materials for reuse.

Who is affected

  • Battery providers: vehicle and battery manufacturers, importers, brand owners, distributors, dealers, retailers.
  • Secondary handlers and users: refurbishers, remanufacturers, resellers, repurposing entities, utilities or businesses that repurpose batteries for stationary storage.
  • Specialized battery recyclers and broader recycling industry.
  • Consumers (indirectly) and state environmental regulators (Department of Environmental Protection).
  • Landfill operators (will no longer accept traction batteries).

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Massachusetts filing: Senate Docket No. 2366 filed 01/17/2025 (Sen. Barry Finegold sponsor).
  • Hearing scheduled (per provided info): 06/18/2025, 1:00 PM–5:00 PM in A-2 (Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy committee).
  • The provided record also contains unrelated federal legislative actions and a federal naming bill; those are separate and not part of the Massachusetts battery policy text.

Expected impacts and considerations

  • Environmental: reduced landfill disposal of traction batteries, increased recovery of critical battery materials (e.g., lithium, cobalt, nickel).
  • Industry: requires new logistics, coordination with authorized recyclers, possible costs to providers for takeback, remanufacture, or recycling programs.
  • Regulatory: increased reporting and oversight by state DEP; need to define implementation details (e.g., standards for specialized recyclers, enforcement mechanisms, and detailed reporting formats).
  • Capacity: success depends on available specialized recycling/refining capacity and clarity on responsibilities across complex supply chains.

Gaps / items not available in excerpt

  • Enforcement mechanisms, penalties, and detailed timelines for compliance were not included in the truncated text provided. The full bill should be consulted for those provisions.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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