Pennsylvania Takes Key Step Toward Increased Funding for Scrap Tire Cleanup

Earlier this year, the Rubber Manufacturers Association targeted Pennsylvania in an effort to convince state policymakers to devote increased resources toward cleaning up abandoned stockpiles of scrap tires.

In recent years, the resources that Pennsylvania has dedicated to abating these abandoned piles have diminished considerably.  To reverse this trend, RMA has engaged in a multifaceted strategy to work with state legislators and other decision makers to increase awareness of the need to remediate the estimated 10-15 million tires still in piles across Pennsylvania.

The effort began to pay off when the state first agreed to study whether using rubber modified asphalt in road construction could be cost effective.  Then, in early July, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the fiscal year 2007 budget with nearly $1 million in funding dedicated to scrap tire stockpile remediation. 

“These funds will not only help remove hundreds of thousands of tires from stockpiles across the state, but also will help to stimulate sustainable end-user markets, provide grants or loans to scrap tire processors, and support ongoing scrap tire enforcement and monitoring in Pennsylvania,” said Chris Gullott, RMA director, state government affairs. 

“A great deal of work remains to secure sufficient resources to ensure that scrap tire stockpile abatement a remains a renewed environmental priority in the Pennsylvania General Assembly,” Gullott added.