A RESOLUTION urging the Energy and Environment Cabinet to explore and implement strategies to remove waste tires from Kentucky’s streams and waterways.
Summary
SR238 is a Senate resolution urging Kentucky’s Energy and Environment Cabinet to identify and carry out strategies to remove waste tires from the state’s streams, rivers, and other waterways. The resolution describes waste tires as a persistent environmental problem that contributes to water pollution, microplastic and chemical contamination, and damage to communities that depend on clean waterways for fishing, recreation, and general quality of life.
The resolution also asks the Cabinet to compile a report by December 1, 2025, outlining its findings, proposed removal strategies, and any legislative recommendations related to tire cleanup and repurposing. It does not itself create a new regulatory program or impose penalties; instead, it directs study, coordination, and reporting on a statewide environmental cleanup issue.
Impact
SR238 would not directly amend Kentucky statutes or create enforceable duties for private parties. Its practical effect is to place the issue of waste tire removal in Kentucky waterways before the Energy and Environment Cabinet and to request a formal report that could inform future legislation, funding decisions, or cleanup initiatives. The resolution may influence environmental policy, waste management efforts, and potential recycling or repurposing programs for scrap tires.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the resolution is strongly supportive of environmental cleanup and protective of public health, water quality, and outdoor recreation. The bill text frames the problem as urgent and pressing, with emphasis on pollution, community degradation, and economic loss. No committee transcript or vote record was provided, so there is no recorded opposition or debate in the available materials.
Contention
The main policy issue is not whether waste tires are a problem, but how aggressively the state should respond and how cleanup should be funded and implemented. The resolution points to limited funding as a barrier and implicitly raises questions about resource allocation, responsibility for removal, and whether legislative action will be needed after the Cabinet’s report. Because the measure is a resolution rather than a mandate, any contention would likely center on future costs, program design, and the scope of state involvement rather than on the resolution’s immediate legal effect.