Lawmakers, agencies and industry split over proposed tire tax to fund 6PPD mitigation, wildlife crossings and transit

State Senator Chris Gorsick introduced House Bill 3362 — described in testimony as the "Tire Pollution Act" — at a public hearing of the Joint Committee on Transportation on March 4. The bill would impose a 4% surcharge on tire sales and dedicate revenue to three main areas: treatment to remove tire-wear pollutants (notably 6PPD quinone) from stormwater, construction and fencing for wildlife crossings to reduce wildlife–vehicle collisions, and support for rail and other public-transportation projects.

"Protecting Oregon's waterways is what we're after with HB 33 62," Senator Chris Gorsick told the committee, framing the bill around the discovery that a tire additive can convert to a chemical lethal to some salmon species.

The Department of Fish and Wildlife provided technical background on the pollutant. Becky Anthony, a water-quality specialist with ODFW, explained that 6PPD — a tire additive — reacts with ozone to form 6PPD quinone ("6PPD‑q"), which researchers have linked to coho salmon deaths. "6PPD interacts with ozone and slowly migrates over the life of…