(The Center Square) – A Republican state lawmaker has introduced a bill to preempt potential legislation from Democrats that would require passenger vehicle tires to be low-rolling resistant in the name of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Rep. Jim Walsh, R-Aberdeen, told The Center Square he pre-filed House Bill 1041 in response to a bill introduced during this year’s legislative session.
“For the past several years environmental activists and their allies in the Legislature have been kicking around these proposals to restrict rolling resistance,” said Walsh, who also serves as the chair of the Washington State Republican Party.
According to the U.S. Tire Manufacturers Association, “rolling efficiency is the amount of energy required to maintain a tire’s rotational movement and can be one of many factors that affect a vehicle’s fuel economy. Better fuel economy means lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.”
Rep. Chipalo Street, D-Seattle, sponsored House Bill 2262 during the 2024 session, telling members of the House Transportation Committee in a January hearing that low-rolling resistance tires are needed to combat climate change.
“At the end of the day we’re facing a climate crisis, and we need to use as many tools as possible to get ourselves out of that,” he said at the time. “The way the tire is made can reduce the amount of energy it loses while it rolls and that translates to increased gas mileage for the vehicle.”
The bill, which stalled in committee, would have banned the sale of many of the most popular types of tires used by Washington drivers.
Walsh said his bill for the 2025 session is a way to preempt similar legislation should it be tried again.
“They have these convoluted arguments about how grabby tires are bad because they put carbon pollution out into the atmosphere,” he said. “There’s no good science behind it; it’s an axiomatic belief that’s almost religious in its nature that our tires are too grabby.”
Walsh went on to say that tires with less rolling resistance generally have less tread, which can impact stopping distance.
“We live in Washington, and we get a lot of rain here and I think it’s entirely reasonable to want tires with a good grip, and I don’t think anybody should be telling someone else they can’t have that,” he explained.
Walsh’s proposal, as detailed in a news release emailed to The Center Square, “seeks to prohibit restrictions on tire usage or sales through greenhouse gas reduction strategies or emission standards. We can take a more balanced approach to safety, regulatory uniformity, and environmental objectives.”
The 2025 legislative session begins on Jan. 13.
