Arkansas environmental agency funding would cover fiscal-year operations

The Department of Energy and Environment would receive funds for staff, daily operations, contracts, grants, and environmental programs. The funding covers the department, its Division of Environmental Quality, and programs including cleanup, recycling, energy assistance, licensing, mining, and waste management. Money could be spent only from the listed state, federal, trust, fee, or cash funds. Spending would remain subject to state budget, purchasing, accounting, salary, and other fiscal-control laws. The appropriations apply to the fiscal year ending June 30, 2027, with the act intended to take effect July 1, 2026.

The agency could use specified trust-fund earnings and limited principal for laboratory equipment, transfer up to $1.5 million between department funds, and seek commission review for certain landfill spending. These provisions cover hazardous-waste laboratory equipment, Division of Environmental Quality state operations, and corrective work at closed landfills funded through the Landfill Post-Closure Trust Fund. Equipment purchases must be reported each year to the Arkansas Legislative Council or Joint Budget Committee. Transfers require approval by the Chief Fiscal Officer and may be used only for state-operations personal services and operating expenses. Landfill corrective-action spending above $2 million per site requires review and approval by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission. The equipment, transfer, and landfill provisions would apply from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

The text would set rules for fees charged by tire retailers and commercial generators and for used-tire program reimbursements and collection centers. The rules cover tire retailers, commercial generators, end users, used-tire programs, and tire collection centers. Retailers and generators would remain subject to the listed fee limits and exceptions in the tire law. Used-tire programs seeking reimbursement would need collection centers that serve their area and meet the listed retailer-fee and electronic-manifest conditions. Collection centers could be solid-waste facilities, tire-processing facilities, or tire retailers, with at least one center in each served county. Reimbursement would apply to tires processed on or after July 1, 2026; the other tire provisions would be subject to the act’s July 1, 2026 effective date.