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Committee backs three-year 50¢-per-tire fee to clean abandoned tire piles
Summary
Senate Bill 1089 would create a three-year pilot program funded by a 50¢-per-tire fee to pay for cleanup of abandoned waste-tire piles and to provide partial reimbursements to recyclers. The Health and Welfare Committee voted 5–4 to send the bill to the floor after testimony from recyclers, local governments and retailers.
The Senate Health and Welfare Committee voted 5–4 to send Senate Bill 1089 to the Senate floor after hearing testimony from recyclers, local governments and trade groups supporting a three-year pilot program to address abandoned waste-tire piles and to incentivize tire recycling.
Sponsor Mark Harris told the committee that Idaho faces dozens of abandoned tire piles across the state that pose environmental and public-health hazards, including fire risk and mosquito breeding. The bill would establish a 50¢ fee charged at the point of purchase and deposit the revenue into a new state fund administered by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) subject to legislative appropriation. DEQ could use the fund to contract for cleanup, provide grants to local governments or provide partial reimbursements to recyclers for collection and processing.
Roy Eguerin, a lobbyist working with Liberty Tire Recycling, described an inventory DEQ prepared and the stakeholder process used to craft the bill. He told the committee the sponsor and stakeholders developed the bill to replicate programs used in other states, notably Utah and Colorado. Eyewitness testimony and photos shown in committee put the issue in local terms: the sponsor and witnesses described piles in Burley and Idaho Falls and identified dozens of locations around the state.
Recyclers and operators said the rebate structure is necessary to keep legitimate recyclers from being undercut by unscrupulous collectors who might charge low fees and dump tires. Rob Jerries of Liberty Tire and Craig Hunter, CEO of Tire Reclaim in Caldwell, said funds and rebates would allow collection from remote piles and support markets that use crumb rubber, tire-derived fuel and other recycled products. Hunter said Tire Reclaim had invested in a shredder and processing equipment and that inconsistent markets make collection from remote piles economically difficult without incentives.
Stakeholders who testified in support included the Association of Idaho Cities and the Idaho Association of Counties. The Association of Idaho Cities representative said cities and counties lack sufficient funding to remediate large piles, especially in rural areas.
The bill’s key features in committee testimony: - A 50¢ point-of-sale fee on tires for a three-year pilot period. - A new fund deposited at the Tax Commission and administered by DEQ, with expenditures subject to legislative appropriation. - DEQ authority to contract for cleanup or provide grants to local governments to remove abandoned piles. - A partial reimbursement/rebate program to recyclers to offset costs of collection and processing and to discourage illegal dumping. - An annual DEQ report to the legislature on cleanup progress and program finances.
Committee debate included questions about the scale of the problem and the fee’s duration. Senators expressed varying views about using a statewide mandatory fee versus voluntary or market-based solutions. Senator Ziderfeld asked recyclers about expected profit and cost per cleanup; recyclers said the fee would help make more cleanups economically feasible but would be additional business rather than a windfall. Senator Harris said the pilot could be extended or terminated after three years depending on results.
The committee recorded votes on a roll call. The clerk’s roll call recorded the following positions: Senator Harris (Aye), Senator Ziderfeld (No), Senator Lenny (No), Senator Shippey (No), Senator Blaylock (Aye), Senator Keiser (No), Senator Wintrow (Aye), Senator Bjerke (Aye), Senator Van Orden (Aye). The motion passed 5–4 to send the bill to the floor with a due-pass recommendation.
If enacted, the bill would create a temporary funding mechanism to contract cleanup and incentivize recyclers to remove and process abandoned tires. Supporters stressed the public-health and fire-threat rationale; opponents and some committee members warned about imposing a statewide mandatory fee and urged local control or opt-in alternatives.
-- Votes at a glance: Senate Bill 1089 — Motion: “Send Senate Bill 1089 to the floor with a due pass recommendation.” Mover: Senator Wintrow; Second: Senator Blaylock. Roll-call recorded 5 ayes, 4 nays; motion approved.
