Bill prohibiting state incentives for polluting plastics-to-fuel facilities passes legislature

Senate Bill 24-150 will prohibit plastics-to-fuel combustion units from being eligible for any state incentives and requires pyrolysis and gasification processes to be regulated at the state and local level as solid waste-to-energy incineration systems. 

In other states these waste-to-energy facilities have been reclassified from incineration to manufacturing facilities with much less stringent pollution requirements. This law should prevent the redesignation, protecting Coloradans from the pollution of chemical recycling and waste incineration. The bill also ensures that gasses recovered from plastics-to-fuel processes are not eligible for state-level renewable energy credits.

Plastics-to-fuel pyrolysis and gasification facilities have become a source of toxic pollutants such as dioxins, arsenic, mercury, and benzene, which are associated with serious health issues ranging from cancers to respiratory disorders.