New legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Daniel Meuser (R-PA) would eliminate a tax on some lead battery materials, costs foreign battery manufacturers do not have to pay, he said.
The USA Batteries Act would eliminate taxes on lead oxide, antimony, and sulfuric acid that were part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Those taxes, he said, increase costs for U.S. manufacturers of lead batteries that imported battery manufacturers don’t have to pay.
In 2021, the U.S. lead battery industry invested nearly $113 million in research and development and is pursuing next generation battery technology and energy storage solutions to meet the needs of a growing market, advocates said. The industry expects to see the market grow from 360 GWh in 2020 to 430 GWh in 2030.
The U.S. lead battery industry invested nearly $113 million in R&D in 2021 and, through agreements with the U.S. National Laboratories system, is actively pursuing next gen battery technology and energy storage to meet the needs of a market that is expected to grow from 360 GWh in 2020 to 430 GWh in 2030. These battery innovations are being developed by U.S. companies and will be built by U.S. workers in communities across the nation.
“Our industry has an annual manufacturing capacity of more than 165 GWh in the U.S. and more than 206 GWh across North America,” said Roger Miksad, Battery Council International executive vice president. “At a time when demand is outpacing domestic production, the USABatteries Act will eliminate a tax that gives foreign manufacturers an unfair advantage on the cost of raw materials. The purpose of the infrastructure bill was to support domestic manufacturing. If this tax is allowed to stand it will negatively impact the 25,000 American workers who make and recycle lead batteries and take pride in the fact that their product is the most recycled consumer product in the U.S.”
The council said lead batteries will be the dominant rechargeable battery technology for the foreseeable future and are the leader in a variety of green applications from automotive uses to the growing utility and renewable energy storage markets.