Read the full stored bill text
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 1968
Page 1 of 5
XXXX 2/18/2026 9:50 AM Jacketed
A JOINT RESOLUTION establishing the Circular Economy and Advanced 1
Recovery Advisory Working Group. 2
WHEREAS, it is in the interest of the Commonwealth for the prote ction of the 3
health and safety of the public and the environment to study the concept of a circular 4
energy economy; and 5
WHEREAS, the Commonwealth's transition to a circular energy economy may 6
integrate resource use and recovery into the Commonwealth's ener gy production and 7
utilize various wastes, including industrial, agricultural, sewer wastes and sludges, 8
plastics, and waste tires and other recovered materials such as fly ash, slurry, and gob 9
piles, to produce low -cost energy for various energy users from industrial to residential; 10
and 11
WHEREAS, the circular economy creates a circular supply chain that minimizes 12
wastes, reduces the carbon footprint of various industries, and makes the creation and use 13
of various materials sustainable into the future; and 14
WHEREAS, the recoverable economic value embodied in nonhazardous waste 15
streams should not be destroyed through regulatory exclusion when technologies exist 16
that materially advance the Commonwealth's economic, environmental, and energy 17
objectives; and 18
WHEREAS, promoting and providing incentives for circular energy facilities may 19
improve the efficiency of waste management in the Commonwealth; and 20
WHEREAS, circular energy facilities provide a method of processing nonhazardous 21
wastes using a noncombustive, seale d, pressure -based hydrothermal or hybridized 22
systems; improve the ability to reduce and treat the volume of wastes; render the wastes 23
inert; create energy, fuels, bioproducts, and advanced materials; and allow for extraction, 24
separation, and recovery of reusable materials; 25
NOW, THEREFORE, 26
Be it resolved by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 1968
Page 2 of 5
XXXX 2/18/2026 9:50 AM Jacketed
Section 1. The Circular Economy and Advanced Recovery Advisory Working 1
Group is hereby established and shall be attached to the Energy and Environment Cabinet 2
for administrative purposes and staff support. Members of the working group shall be as 3
follows: 4
(1) The director of the Division of Waste Management or his or her designee, 5
who shall be an ex officio member and serve as chair; 6
(2) The manager of the Recycling and Local Assistance Branch within the 7
Division of Waste Management or his or her designee, who sha ll be an ex officio 8
member; 9
(3) One member representing the Kentucky Association of Counties; 10
(4) One member representing the solid waste coordinators in Kentucky selected 11
by the Kentucky Recycling Coalition; 12
(5) One member representing circular energy ec onomy and advanced recovery 13
technology developers, selected from an association whose membership is limited to 14
noncombustive conversion technologies or, if such association does not exist, from 15
nominees submitted by Kentucky-based circular economy developers; 16
(6) One member representing the Kentucky League of Cities; 17
(7) One member representing an environmental nonprofit organization based in 18
the Commonwealth; 19
(8) One member representing an academic institution within the Commonwealth 20
with expertise in circ ular economy systems, environmental science, bioenergy, materials 21
engineering, or sustainable supply chain development; 22
(9) One member with expertise in municipal finance, infrastructure financing, or 23
industrial development; 24
(10) One member representing t he private sector, with expertise in supply -chain 25
modernization, manufacturing, renewable fuels, bioproducts, or advanced materials; 26
(11) One member representing a national waste and recycling association; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 1968
Page 3 of 5
XXXX 2/18/2026 9:50 AM Jacketed
(12) One member representing the Kentucky electric cooperatives; 1
(13) One member representing an investor-owned electric utility; 2
(14) One nonvoting ex officio member representing the House of Representatives, 3
who shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House; and 4
(15) One nonvoting ex officio member rep resenting the Senate, who shall be 5
appointed by the President of the Senate. 6
Section 2. The working group shall meet four times before December 30, 2026. 7
The working group shall evaluate, advise, and make recommendations on policies that 8
advance the Commonwealth's focus on the circular energy economy and maximize 9
economic development opportunities arising from advanced recovery technologies. The 10
duties of the working group include but are not limited to: 11
(1) Examining the process of siting circular energy facilities and identifying 12
impediments to the process of siting circular energy facilities; 13
(2) Identifying the costs and benefits of using specific incentives to site circular 14
energy facilities, including creating inves tment tax credits, sales and use tax exemptions, 15
an energy -crop producer certification program, or providing for bonding or a special 16
financing authority; 17
(3) Developing an expedited permitting process that gives preference to waste 18
facilities using noncom bustible technologies as a pathway for a preferred class of 19
conversion technologies; 20
(4) Identifying and establishing a preapproved inventory of brownfield, industrial 21
properties, coal waste deposits, impoundments, legacy landfills, reclaimed lands, and 22
other suitable areas for siting circular economy projects and associated industrial or 23
manufacturing facilities; 24
(5) Conducting a broad asset mapping and gap analysis of Kentucky's circular 25
economy assets, talent, research, and commercial endeavors focusing on the materials 26
and supply chain segments of the circular economy; 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 1968
Page 4 of 5
XXXX 2/18/2026 9:50 AM Jacketed
(6) Investigating the Commonwealth's role in promoting the repair, 1
remanufacturing, and extraction of critical materials from wastes; 2
(7) Developing guidance for regulatory and permitting frameworks that 3
differentiate noncombustive conversion technologies, including biological processing, 4
pressure-differential systems, chemical recovery, and mechanical separation from 5
combustion, incineration, gasification, or refuse-derived fuel systems; 6
(8) Examining the long -term economic, environmental, and community 7
development impacts of transitioning to circular economy systems on local governments, 8
including the impact on various solid waste fees, the environmental remediation fee, and 9
infrastructure funding needs; 10
(9) Evaluating how circular economy development can stimulate rural and urban 11
economic revitalization, support workforce expansion, advance domestic manufacturing, 12
reduce supply chain vulnerabilities, and create high -value industries withi n the 13
Commonwealth; and 14
(10) Recommending statutory, regulatory, workforce, and financial reforms 15
necessary to promote the full development of a circular economy ecosystem across the 16
Commonwealth, including integration with agriculture, advanced manufactur ing, energy 17
production, material recovery, and innovation-driven industries. 18
Section 3. The working group shall submit a final report by December 30, 2026, 19
to the Legislative Research Commission for referral to the Interim Joint Committee on 20
Natural Resources and Energy. The report shall include findings, recommendations, 21
proposed statutory and regulatory changes, economic development analysis, the results of 22
its gap analysis, an updated inventory of suitable sites, a review of technology 23
classifications, and identification of regulatory or statutory barriers requiring action by 24
the General Assembly. 25
Section 4. The Governor shall appoint the initial members of the Circular 26
Economy and Advanced Recovery Advisory Working Group no later than 30 days after 27
UNOFFICIAL COPY 26 RS BR 1968
Page 5 of 5
XXXX 2/18/2026 9:50 AM Jacketed
the effective date of this Resolution. The working gr oup shall have its first meeting no 1
later than August 15, 2026, and shall be dissolved on December 30, 2026. 2