FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manassas, Virginia — May 14, 2026: The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) congratulates the Colorado General Assembly on the passage of Senate Bill 26-003, “End-of-Life Management of Electric Vehicle Batteries.” The passage of SB26-003 is an important step forward in that it guarantees that the positive environmental benefits of vehicle electrification are not undermined by unsafe and irresponsible end-of-life battery management. This important piece of legislation provides Colorado with a durable framework that addresses the growing risks associated with stranded electric and hybrid-electric vehicle batteries entering the State’s reuse and recycling infrastructure. ARA looks forward to Governor Polis’s signature and the bill’s enactment into law.
SB26-003 passed the Colorado General Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support, which reflects the strength of a broad coalition of stakeholders who worked collaboratively to develop the legislation. Automotive recyclers, original equipment manufacturers, battery recyclers, environmental organizations, and other industry partners came together to craft a framework that balances worker safety, environmental protection, and economic practicality. The passage of SB26-003 is a reflection of how inter-industry collaboration work together when all parties are committed to getting ahead of a challenge before it becomes a crisis.
Each year, approximately 330,000 vehicles reach their end-of-life in Colorado and automotive recycling facilities process a majority of them. With a rapid increase in the number of vehicles containing high-voltage batteries reaching their end-of-life, Colorado’s automotive recyclers are the first touchpoint for these batteries. Due to the complex nature of working with these batteries that pose workplace safety risks, potential environmental liability, and an uncertain downstream market, SB26-003 helps to ensure that the State’s existing end-of-life vehicle recycling infrastructure can continue to provide benefits to vehicle owners and the environment.
“SB26-003 positions Colorado to address emerging battery management challenges that are already putting pressure on vehicle recycling infrastructure. We are proud to have worked alongside the General Assembly and industry stakeholders to deliver a solution that is practical, market-driven, and built on infrastructure that has served Coloradans for over a century.”
— Emil Nusbaum, Vice President of Strategy, Government and Regulatory Affairs, ARA
SB26-003 provides a solution to these structural risks. The law protects workers and communities from the risks of battery-initiated fire events, prevents costly environmental harm associated with irresponsible battery handling and disposal, provides a no-cost, turnkey solution for stranded batteries that cannot be reused, repaired, repurposed, or remanufactured, and supports Colorado’s existing automotive recycling infrastructure by incentivizing a market-based approach to recycling.
About the Automotive Recyclers Association
Since 1943, the Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) has represented professional automotive recyclers, a vibrant and important industry within the automotive supply chain and vehicle recycling infrastructure. ARA members play an important role in the vehicle repair market by providing owners with cost-effective recycled OEM replacement parts, ensuring competition in the replacement parts market while recovering critical minerals and recyclable materials from end-of-life vehicles. ARA has been proactively working to educate its members on how to safely handle, process, and store electric vehicles and high-voltage batteries as volumes at member facilities continue to rise. Learn more at www.a-r-a.org.
Media Contact:
Emil Nusbaum
Vice President of Strategy, Government and Regulatory Affairs
Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA)
571-208-0428 Ext. 4
emil@a-r-a.org
