Environmental Remediation, Critical Minerals Bill Passes House Unanimously

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: press@carbonremovalalliance.org

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) — The EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026 passed the House of Representatives last night. The legislation was introduced by Congressman August Pfluger (R-TX) and co-sponsored by Congressman Greg Landsman (D-OH) — if passed in the Senate, the Act would continue the EMRTAI program for an additional 10 years at a total amount not to exceed $100 million.

Novel mining technologies, including carbon mineralization, could help advance EMRTAI's mission of legacy mine remediation and critical mineral recovery. Through carbon mineralization, American innovators can bind atmospheric carbon dioxide with mining byproducts to permanently sequester carbon while facilitating the recovery of critical minerals essential to our national priorities.

Eli Cain, Deputy Director of Policy for the Carbon Removal Alliance, shared the following statement on the passage of the EMRTAI Authorization Act of 2026 in the House of Representatives:

“We would like to thank Congressmen August Pfluger and Greg Landsman for championing this important legislation and helping America lead in mining innovation. There are around 500,000 abandoned mines in the U.S. containing billions of tons of mining waste. With novel mining technologies like carbon mineralization, that waste can be transformed into valuable domestic resources.

“The House passage of the Environmental Monitoring and Remediation Technology Assessment Initiative (EMRTAI) Authorization Act of 2026 is a vital step toward remediating environmental hazards while generating important national resources, like critical minerals.”

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About the Carbon Removal Alliance

The Carbon Removal Allianceopens in a new tab is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition building a carbon removal industry ready to reach gigaton scale by bringing innovators and policymakers together and putting quality at the center of our work. Our team comprises respected leaders in the carbon removal space, with deep expertise in public policy and affairs, communications, climate science, and emerging technologies. Our more than 25 member companies represent a diverse range of carbon removal pathways and are responsible for virtually all of the permanent carbon removal to date. United together — innovative companies, buyers, and experts — we’re ready to bring the world into the carbon removal era.