SB 686

Did not advance

Environment - Extended Producer Responsibility for Batteries and Battery-Containing Products (Battery Stewardship Act)

Sponsor: Malcolm Augustine (District 47)Committee: Education, Energy, and the EnvironmentSubject: EnvironmentStatus: Hearing 2/18 at 1:00 p.m. (as of Dec 1, 2025)

What this bill does

Official synopsis

Requiring certain producers of batteries and battery-containing products to individually or as part of a battery stewardship organization submit a certain battery stewardship plan to the Department of the Environment for review and approval by July 1, 2026, and every 5 years thereafter, in accordance with certain requirements; requiring a battery stewardship program to be implemented within a certain amount of time after the Department approves a certain battery stewardship plan; etc.

AI analysis is off. Set ANTHROPIC_API_KEY to enable summaries, pros and cons, and questions.

Analysis reads the bill text, the fiscal note, and the witness list. It is generated by Claude and reviewed by nobody, so check the source documents before you rely on it.

Testimony (0)

MGA witness list

FAV 16FavorableFWA 6Favorable with amendmentsUNF 2UnfavorableINFO 3Information only

Position	Witness	Organization	Testimony
FAV	Coronado Flores, Jose	CASA	Position only
FAV	Stegman, Matt	Chesapeake Bay Foundation	Position only
FAV	Hudson, Lee	Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCA	Position only
FAV	Smith, Virginia	Indivisible HoCo Maryland	Position only
FAV	Plante, Cecilia	Maryland Legislative Coalition	Position only
FAV	Ainsworth, Martha	Maryland Sierra Club	Position only
FAV	Themelis, Nina	Mayor's Office of Government Relations	Written (PDF)
FAV	Cassel, Scott	Product Stewardship Institute	Oral + Written (PDF)
FAV	Southerland, Mark	Safe Skies Maryland	Position only
FAV	Doordan, Kellylobbyist	Trash Free Maryland	Position only
FAV	McNair, Lee	Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice Ministry	Position only
FAV	Arndt, Dave	Individual	Position only
FAV	Davlin, Sharon	Individual	Position only
FAV	Ranson, Emilylobbyist	Individual	Written (PDF)
FAV	Senator Augustine, Senator Augustinelegislator	Individual	Oral
FAV	Taylor, Tom	Individual	Written (PDF)
UNF	Price, Sarahlobbyist	Maryland Retailers Alliance	Oral
UNF	Seaward, Ashley	Redwood Materials	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Fisher, Joshualobbyist	Alliance for Automotive Innovation	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Kress, Williamlobbyist	Kress Hammen	Oral
FWA	Butchko, Dominic	Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	McIlroy, Kitty	Maryland Recycling Network	Oral + Written (PDF)
FWA	Kerchner, Georgelobbyist	PRBA - The Rechargeable Battery Association	Oral
FWA	Oldendorf, Kristyn	Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)	Written (PDF)
INFO	Baker, Jeremy D	Maryland Department of the Environment	Written (PDF)
INFO	Bagwell, Ashlielobbyist	Tesla	Written (PDF)
INFO	Vetter, Drew	Individual	Written (PDF)

Organizations on record

Alliance for Automotive InnovationFWA 1

CASAFAV 1

Chesapeake Bay FoundationFAV 1

Delaware-Maryland Synod, ELCAFAV 1

Indivisible HoCo MarylandFAV 1

Kress HammenFWA 1

Maryland Association of Counties (MACo)FWA 1

Maryland Department of the EnvironmentINFO 1

Maryland Legislative CoalitionFAV 1

Maryland Recycling NetworkFWA 1

Maryland Retailers AllianceUNF 1

Maryland Sierra ClubFAV 1

Mayor's Office of Government RelationsFAV 1

PRBA - The Rechargeable Battery AssociationFWA 1

Product Stewardship InstituteFAV 1

Redwood MaterialsUNF 1

Safe Skies MarylandFAV 1

Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)FWA 1

TeslaINFO 1

Trash Free MarylandFAV 1

Unitarian Universalist Environmental Justice MinistryFAV 1

Registered lobbyists who testified

FAVDoordan, KellyTrash Free MarylandRegistered for: Trash Free Maryland

FAVRanson, EmilyRegistered for: Clean Water Action

UNFPrice, SarahMaryland Retailers AllianceRegistered for: Maryland Retailers Alliance; Maryland Retailers Association

FWAFisher, JoshuaAlliance for Automotive InnovationRegistered for: Alliance for Automotive Innovation

FWAKress, WilliamKress HammenRegistered for: Alliance for Automotive Innovation; Amazon.com Services, LLC; Apple Inc.; Boyd Gaming Corporation; Centers for Better Insurance, LLC; Coalition of Maryland Title Insurers…

FWAKerchner, GeorgePRBA - The Rechargeable Battery AssociationRegistered for: PRBA - The Rechargeable Battery Association

INFOBagwell, AshlieTeslaRegistered for: AbbVie Inc.; Aligned Data Centers; American Academy of Anesthesiology Assistants, Inc.; Atmosphere Data Centers LLC; Baltimore Civic Fund, Inc.; Beltway Fine Wine…