My company has long flittered around like a Red Oxpecker Bird, landing on the shoulders of great
investors in the USA "E-Waste" industry. We are occasionally recognized, allowed to sing, and hop about conferences looking for parasitic ideas in the ears of our industry. But the worst thing to happen in 20 years may be buried in the text of a major House bill, H.R. 4521. (annotated text link)
(helpful hint, don't open US Congress bill in Chrome, use MS Edge, there's a Chrome bug)
Here is the 2009 Version HR 2791 (don't try in Chrome) H.R.2791 - 113th Congress (2013-2014): Responsible Electronics Recycling Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Here is the 2016 Version HR3559 (don't try in Chrome)
Text - H.R.3559 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): Secure E-Waste Export and Recycling Act | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
And Here is the current Recycled Version, which finally made it out of the House of Representatives.
H.R.4521 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): America COMPETES Act of 2022 | Congress.gov | Library of Congress
Notice the 2022 bill, which passed the House, is buried inside the language of a much longer bill. This was not able, in 13 years, to survive on its own. This is Jedi Lobbyist, not NGO. No Senate member has heard any testimony This is an unmarked land mine.
Because the USA has strong OEM warranty laws (Magnusson Moss Warranty Act of 1975), OEMs have for years used more copper, stronger materials, and extra testing. Our electronics, internationally speaking, have "bullet-proof" reputaton. USA Home-Used is a stronger brand in Ghana or Cameroon than brand new from China. The USA has no competition in used goods. Our used goods are sought out, "solid state", it's a unique advantage USA consumers have if they want to sell their used goods abroad.
"America Competes Act" should recognize that simply by DEMANDING a #Right To Repair, we are bolstering our competitive position in the secondhand goods market.
This may take a few blogs but for the Swordfish Readers who follow the history and origins of these anti-reuse, anti-repair, anti-DIY, anti-#RightToRepair, Pro-Obsolescence, greedy mess makers behind this bill, some history boxes need to be checked.
The "short answer" to the Senate reconciliation or Conference Committee is why allow this RERA, SEERA, 13 year old land mine to enter the Senate version of the bill without ever a discussion or debate? Why does the self-same restrictive language supported by #ProvenFalse 80% bad export claims, #ProvenFalse bad for USA recyclers claims, suddenly get branded as a "national security" concern? The argument seems to be that if TV parts are allowed to be exported, that they might wind up as a reuse chip embedded in a US soldier's walkie-talkie. This absurdity is why the language of the bill, which has barely changed even as it's justifications could fail a high school creative writing class, is suddenly buried 13 years later, like a forgotten land mine.
It's the Anti-Reuse-Terminator 13. I'm 60 years old now, and it keeps reaching out and grabbing me like an unfriendly anti-Iron-Giant (classic animated movie about fear used to justify violence, and the potential for self-repair is the silver lining as the destroyed robot's screws, chips and pieces are seen to reassemble the friendly giant at the closing credits).
