North Dakota Considers Tire Tax

North Dakota lawmakers have proposed a new tax on rubber that could raise $5 million per year if approved, according to a report in the Grand Forks Herald (Grand Forks, N.D.).

The proposed legislation would simultaneously ban used tires from landfills and levy a tax of 39 cents per pound on rubber, which would be used to fund a tire recycling program and to provide financial assistance for police, ambulance and fire services, the Grand Forks Herald reports. 

The new law would provide a steady stream of material to Berthold, N.D.-based tire recycler Delta Energy, according to the report. The legislation would also authorize the state to buy some of the recycled products from the company.

Wayne Kern, director of the state Health Department’s waste management division, tells the paper that the proposal is too narrow. “Waste management strategies should not rely on just one option, but should be broad, flexible and adaptive to local conditions,” he says.