I
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1041
To amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide grants to States to
stabilize and remove large tire piles that are near drinking water sources
and sensitive populations.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 12, 1997
Mr. KENNEDY of Rhode Island introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Commerce
A BILL
To amend the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide grants
to States to stabilize and remove large tire piles that
are near drinking water sources and sensitive popu-
lations.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Tire Pile Improvement
and Remediation Effectiveness Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The Solid Waste Disposal Act does not pro-
vide for the current stabilization and removal of tire
piles.
(2) There are currently 3,000,000,000 scrap
tires located in tire piles in the United States, and
250,000,000 tires are added to tire piles each year.
(3) Tires, once burning, are difficult to extin-
guish because tires contain oil (providing fuel), and
the interstitial spaces between the tires trap air
(providing a source of oxygen).
(4) Tire pile fires can burn at 2,000 degrees
Fahrenheit and put a column of black smoke tens of
thousands of feet in the air.
(5) Burning tires may produce oil as a byprod-
uct of combustion, and it is estimated that one tire
can produce one quart of light fraction oil, an ex-
tremely toxic form of oil containing toxic substances
such as benzene, toluene, and xylene, which are list-
ed as hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air
Act.
(6) At any site where there is a pile of millions
of tires, there is a potential for a large amount of
oil and other pollutants to be released, presenting a
profound threat to public health and the environ-
ment. In the past such piles have caught fire, caus-
ing extensive damage to property and the environ-
ment.
(7) Tire piles containing more than 5,000,000
tires pose an immediate potential threat to public
health and the environment and should be stabilized
and removed with all practicable speed.
SEC. 3. STABILIZATION AND REMOVAL OF SCRAP TIRE
PILES.
Section 2004 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act (42
U.S.C. 6914) is amended—
(1) by striking out the heading and designation
for both the section and subsection (a) of the section
and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
‘‘SEC. 2004. TIRE GRANTS.
‘‘(a) GRANTS FOR DISCARDED TIRE DISPOSAL.—
(1)’’;
(2) by striking out ‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—’’
and inserting in lieu thereof ‘‘(2)’’; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR TIRE PILE STABILIZATION AND
REMOVAL.—
‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Administrator shall make
available grants to States for purposes of construct-
ing fire lanes in, and removing, tire piles containing
1,000,000 or more tires.
in tire piles that contain 1,000,000 or more
tires but less than 5,000,000 tires and that
meet the criteria listed under subparagraph
(A).
‘‘(3) COMPLIANCE
WITH
GUIDELINES.—Fire
lanes constructed using a grant under this sub-
section shall be in compliance with the guidelines of
the National Fire Prevention Association.
‘‘(4) SUPPLEMENT
TO
EXISTING
STATE
PRO-
GRAMS.—A grant provided under this subsection
shall be in addition to, not in lieu of, any State
funding provided for tire pile stabilization and re-
moval through a State tire program existing on the
date of the enactment of this subsection.
‘‘(5) APPLICATION.—A grant may not be
awarded under this subsection unless an application
is submitted to, and approved by, the Administrator.
Such an application shall be submitted in such form
and manner, and contain such information, as the
Administrator by regulation prescribes.
‘‘(6) REGULATIONS.—The Administrator shall
promulgate regulations to administer grants under
this subsection.
‘‘(7) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to
be appropriated $25,000,000 for fiscal year 1998 to
provide grants under this subsection.’’.
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