EPA aims to loosen rules for turning tires into fuel

By Ellie Borst | 03/20/2026 01:30 PM EDT

The proposal would ax processing requirements for fuel made from abandoned scrap tires, a form of energy with health risks “analogous” to coal.

A junkyard employee stacks up used tires.

Junkyard employee Fabio Flores stacks up used tires at Aadlen Brothers Auto Wrecking in Los Angeles on Nov. 19, 2015. Jae C. Hong/AP

EPA is looking to make it easier to turn abandoned scrap tires into fuel as part of the Trump administration’s “unleashing American energy” agenda.

The agency released a proposed rule Friday that would ensure all fuels made from scrap tires are subject to a uniform set of stringent air regulations.

“Our latest proposal provides a commonsense approach to better clean up scrap tires and realize their full potential as fuel,” Thomas Croci, acting assistant administrator of the Office of Land and Emergency Management, said in a statement.

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Not all scrap tires are created equal.

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