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Senate keeps $5 dismantler incentive in mercury-switch removal bill after debate
Summary
After floor debate and a failed amendment to lower the bounty, the Senate passed House Bill 138 to create a mercury-switch removal program that pays dismantlers a $5 incentive per switch; sponsors argued the bounty level is necessary to ensure participation.
The Utah Senate passed House Bill 138, the Mercury Switch Removal Act, which creates a program for removing and collecting mercury switches from older vehicles and includes an incentive payment to dismantlers.
Senator Knudson, sponsor of the bill, told the chamber the program addresses public-health risks from mercury released during vehicle recycling and that the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) will oversee the effort within existing budgets. He described a $5 incentive per switch as a level shown in other states to increase retrieval rates: “The dollar amount we have in this bill is set at a level proven to work as an incentive,” Knudson said.
Senator Andrew Eastman moved a floor amendment to reduce the bounty from $5 to $3, arguing dismantlers already profit by selling parts and that removing a switch takes only “two minutes”: “The 2 minutes that it takes to remove this switch is, is certainly worth $3,” Eastman said. Supporters of the $5 bounty countered that the higher payment is necessary to make dismantlers take the extra step and cited other states' experiences. Senator Christiansen put the practical effect plainly: “The $5 fee gets up to where they can be bothered,” he said.
Senators also cited state-level comparisons: Maine, Colorado, Minnesota and other states were referenced to show different approaches and retrieval results. Senator Wadups summarized examples of bounties and administrative fees in other states and identified roughly ten states with similar bounty programs.
The floor moved to a vote on Eastman's amendment to reduce the bounty to $3; the amendment failed. Under suspension of the rules the first substitute was read for second and third time and, on final passage, the bill was recorded as having passed the Senate with 26 yes votes, 1 nay and 2 absent. The bill will be returned to the House for its further action.
Supporters said the program balances environmental protection and practicable incentives; opponents urged careful consideration of program costs and alternatives such as manufacturer-led recalls.
