Catherine Hensley (OU)
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Nov. 12, 2020) – Senate Freshman Bill OU-004, known as the “Go Green or Go Home Act,” would establish recycling centers that are funded by the state in all Oklahoma towns with a population of 10,000 residents or more to help cut down on gas emissions.
“If half of the US recycled regularly, greenhouse gas emissions would reduce the equivalent of taking about 25 million cars off the road,” said the author of the bill, Senator Connor Boren from the University of Oklahoma.
The state will cover all costs for building, staffing and maintaining the new facilities, as the bill currently reads. After the facilities are ready for operations, the facility will be required to recycle 60 percent of its estimated waste recycle production to continue receiving funds from the state.
Senator Boren said that the new facilities would bring job opportunities to the communities that are required to have the recycling facility.
Senator Boren is anticipating some pushback from the body if it hits the senate floor because of the “ambitious nature” of the bill. Despite that, Senator Boren is confident that this bill would effectively combat climate change while giving more tax dollars to city municipalities.
Senator Boren credits the current surge of climate activism and well-known activists as his initial inspiration to write this bill.
“Activists like Greta Thunberg have encouraged me to become more involved in the future of our planet, and I think recycling is a big part of ensuring that we do have a future,” Senator Boren said.
The Senate freshman bill is likely to hit the senate floor sometime this week. This bill is sure to be a hot topic and highly debated, so delegates should be on the lookout for this legislation to hit the floor.