PRINTER'S NO. 203
No. 186 Session of 1993
INTRODUCED BY MELIO, JAROLIN, STEELMAN, KENNEY, VAN HORNE, CAWLEY, LUCYK, TRELLO, GIGLIOTTI, McGEEHAN, DALEY, TANGRETTI AND BELFANTI, FEBRUARY 3, 1993
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON RULES, FEBRUARY 3, 1993
AN ACT 1 Requiring the Department of Environmental Resources to conduct a 2 waste tire recycling and reuse study; and imposing a 3 surcharge. 4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania 5 hereby enacts as follows: 6 Section 1. Short title. 7 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Waste Tire 8 Recycling and Reuse Investigation Act. 9 Section 2. Legislative findings and declaration of policy. 10 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows: 11 (1) This Commonwealth accumulates approximately 12 12,000,000 waste tires each year. Many of these tires are 13 stockpiled or dumped illegally due to the expense and 14 difficulty associated with proper disposal. 15 (2) Waste tires are incompressible and consume scarce 16 and valuable space in landfills. 17 (3) Tire piles pose many environmental and health 18 hazards due to their susceptibility to fires, which result in
1 noxious emissions, and their service as a breeding site for 2 mosquitoes, which can carry several diseases. 3 (4) The chemical composition of tires makes them capable 4 of recycling and reuse as a fuel source, as an additive to 5 asphalt, etc. 6 (5) To promote the health and welfare of its citizens, 7 to protect the environment and to explore economic 8 opportunities, the Commonwealth should explore the methods of 9 recycling and reuse of waste tires and the markets for 10 recycled rubber. 11 Section 3. Definitions. 12 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 13 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 14 context clearly indicates otherwise: 15 "Department." The Department of Environmental Resources of 16 the Commonwealth. 17 "New vehicle tire." An originally manufactured tire for use 18 on a vehicle. The term does not include any remanufactured, 19 recapped, retreaded or otherwise restored tire. 20 "Purchase price of a new tire." The purchase price of a new 21 vehicle tire that shall be subject to the surcharge in section 5 22 shall not include any other taxes on new vehicle tires. 23 "Vehicle." Every device in, upon or by which any person or 24 property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway, 25 except devices used exclusively upon rails or tracks. The term 26 does not include a pedalcycle. 27 "Waste tire." A tire no longer suitable for its intended 28 purpose because of wear, damage or defect. 29 Section 4. Study by Department of Environmental Resources. 30 (a) Waste tire recycling and reuse study.--Within 18 months 19930H0186B0203 - 2 -
1 of the effective date of this act, the department shall submit 2 to the Governor and the General Assembly a report which shall 3 include, but not be limited to, the following information: 4 (1) The volume of waste tires in this Commonwealth, 5 including the geographic distribution and the location and 6 size of waste tire storage, disposal, collection and 7 processing sites. 8 (2) Assessment of current technology for recycling and 9 reuse of waste tires, including deficiencies in existing 10 technology. 11 (3) Prioritization of methods of recycling and reuse of 12 waste tires. 13 (4) Current and future market projections for the use of 14 recycled rubber products. 15 (5) Methods of encouraging the demand for and use of 16 recycled rubber products. 17 (6) Recommendations regarding the most appropriate 18 methods of recycling and reuse of waste tires, markets for 19 recycled rubber, incentives to encourage recycling and reuse 20 of waste tires and use of recycled rubber, and the need for 21 legislation addressing this issue. 22 (7) Recommendation regarding the continuance or 23 discontinuance of the surcharge on new vehicle tires 24 established under section 5(a). 25 (b) Updating study.--Within five years after completion of 26 the waste tire recycling and reuse study required under 27 subsection (a), the department shall submit to the Governor and 28 the General Assembly an updated study, taking into account 29 information developed since completion of the initial study. 30 (c) Distribution of study.--The department shall promptly 19930H0186B0203 - 3 -
1 make available to the Department of Transportation, 2 municipalities and other interested persons the results of the 3 study required by this section. 4 Section 5. Funding for waste tire recycling and reuse study. 5 (a) Surcharge on the purchase price of new vehicle tires.--A 6 surcharge of $1.00 shall be placed on the purchase price of each 7 new vehicle tire sold in this Commonwealth. This surcharge shall 8 not apply to new vehicle tires sold by wholesalers to retailers 9 for resale or to vehicle manufacturers. 10 (b) Collection.--The surcharge established in subsection (a) 11 shall be collected by the seller. The seller shall remit, on a 12 quarterly basis, 99% of the surcharge collected to the 13 Department of Revenue and may retain 1% for costs of collection 14 if the report is filed in a timely manner. The Department of 15 Revenue shall deposit the money collected in the General Fund of 16 the State Treasury. This money shall be held in trust solely for 17 the purposes of this act and shall be earmarked for the use of, 18 and annually appropriated to, the department for the 19 disbursement solely for that purpose. Moneys from the 20 department's appropriations from the preceding fiscal year shall 21 be used for the purposes of this act in the interim between 22 collection of the surcharge and appropriation to the department. 23 (c) Use of proceeds of surcharge.--The proceeds of the 24 surcharge which are appropriated to the department shall be used 25 for the purpose of defraying the cost of conducting the waste 26 tire recycling and reuse study, for research and demonstration 27 projects relating to the feasibility of technologies for the 28 recycling and reuse of waste tires, for programs to promote tire 29 recycling and reuse in this Commonwealth and for any other 30 purpose consistent with this act. 19930H0186B0203 - 4 -
1 (d) Penalty for failure to remit or collect surcharge.-- 2 Failure to remit surcharges collected in a timely manner shall 3 cause the surcharges to become delinquent, and the retailer, 4 wholesaler or vehicle dealer shall forfeit his claim to the 5 discount authorized in subsection (b) and shall remit 100% of 6 the surcharges due plus a penalty of $1.00 per tire for each 7 tire for which a surcharge is due. Failure to collect the 8 surcharge required by subsection (a) shall subject the retailer, 9 wholesaler or vehicle dealer to a penalty of $2.00 per tire for 10 each tire for which the surcharge has not been collected. The 11 Department of Revenue may promulgate rules and regulations as 12 may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this subsection. 13 Section 6. Effective date. 14 This act shall take effect immediately. L14L27SFG/19930H0186B0203 - 5 -