Bill
Bill > AR41
NJ AR41
NJ AR41Urges President of U.S. and Congress to investigate environmental and labor risks of lithium-ion battery mining fields.
summary
Introduced
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
In Committee
01/13/2026
01/13/2026
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026-2027 Regular Session
Bill Summary
This resolution urges the federal government to investigate lithium fields. Lithium-ion battery mining has grave environmental consequences. In Australia, Argentina, Chile, and China, the major global producers of lithium, lithium extraction yields high levels of water waste and carbon dioxide emissions and permanently scars the landscape surrounding lithium fields. Lithium battery manufacturing also presents a labor rights problem. Chinese lithium-ion battery manufacturing companies, which may be associated with the Chinese government, use child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to mine cobalt, another essential mineral in lithium battery production. These four countries collectively produce 93.7 percent of the world's lithium shares and, therefore, determine the lithium industry's impact on the environment and labor rights. Annually, to satisfy the growing demand for lithium batteries and renewable energy, the United States imports thousands of tons of lithium from Argentina and Chile and hundreds of thousands of lithium-ion batteries from China. To promote a greener future and safeguard children from labor rights violations, the federal government should investigate lithium fields.
AI Summary
This resolution urges the President and Congress of the United States to investigate the environmental and labor risks associated with lithium fields, which are crucial for producing lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles and electronics. The resolution highlights that major lithium-producing countries like Australia, Argentina, Chile, and China, which collectively account for nearly all global lithium production, face significant environmental issues such as high water usage, carbon dioxide emissions, and landscape damage from extraction methods like hard-rock mining and brine evaporation. Furthermore, it points to labor rights concerns, specifically mentioning the use of child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for cobalt mining, a key component in lithium batteries, with many of these mines reportedly owned by Chinese companies. Given that the U.S. imports substantial amounts of lithium and lithium-ion batteries from these regions, the resolution calls for this investigation to promote a greener future and protect human rights.
Committee Categories
Agriculture and Natural Resources
Sponsors (1)
Last Action
Introduced, Referred to Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee (on 01/13/2026)
Official Document
bill text
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/bill-search/2026/AR41 |
| BillText | https://pub.njleg.gov/Bills/2026/AR/41_I1.HTM |
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