A slate of environmental protection bills were offered in the House and Senate this session with just some getting close to the finish line.

These bills covered many issues from littering to data center regulation and included issues that Missouri environmental groups have pushed for legislation on.

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment kept track of legislation this session, noting which bills it was for or against, as well as each bill’s priority level. Some of these high priority bills included regulating disposal of foam fire suppressants and increasing renewable energy usage in the state.

The Mid-Missouri Sierra Club listed 41 bills that it supported, 63 that it was watching and 55 that it opposed. Some bills were obvious environmental issues, but others impact the environment in a less direct way.

“We’re just rushing towards a point of no return,” said Carolyn Niswonger, Mid-Missouri Sierra Club field organizer. “And it’s scary. So having advocates for the environment in places where policy’s decided, it’s invaluable.”

Data centers

One issue Niswonger focused on is the emerging data centers in the state. HB 3362, HB 3364, HB 3390 and SB 1750 dealt with data center regulations.

Data centers use a large amount of energy, which causes carbon emissions to rise. They also require water to cool down the centers. This uses up resources that could be otherwise used elsewhere.

Niswonger said these bills focus on the consumption of those resources at a state level “by establishing permit requirements and ensuring equitable cost allocation.” She also said that the topic of data centers is relatively new for this legislature.

However, Niswonger feels this legislation could go further in future sessions. She cited Texas as an example, as it passed a bill that allows the state power grid, ERCOT, to shut off power to data centers during emergencies. This is essentially a “kill switch” for data centers during grid emergencies.

Waste

HB 3193 sought to eliminate single use plastics in state parks. HB 2261 would have implemented a fine for purposefully releasing balloons outdoors, as the materials in balloons are harmful to the environment and the release of balloons contributes to littering.

HB 2162 made it out of committee, quite a bit of progress compared to some of the other environmental bills. The bill would have started a post-consumer paint recycling program.

“So anyone that sells architectural paints, they must create a plan for collection, reuse, recycling, environmentally sound disposal of leftover paint,” Niswonger said.

This bill had been introduced in the 2024 and 2025 legislative sessions. By the end of the session on Friday, the bill failed to get considered on the House floor.

Along the same vein of proper disposal, SB 1725 and HB 1925 introduced by Rep. Gregg Bush, D-Columbia, would have created rules surrounding how foam fire suppressants are disposed of to avoid polluting air and water.

The Missouri Coalition for the Environment listed this as a high priority topic that it supports.

Abandoned landfills

SB 1586 and HB 2761 address the issue of the 29 abandoned landfills across Missouri. Currently, the Department of Natural Resources does not have funding or jurisdiction to manage these landfills.

However, leaving those sites unmanaged poses an environmental hazard.

“They’re leaching this horrible toxin into our water systems,” Niswonger said.

These bills sought to give DNR the tools it needs to handle these abandoned landfills and address the environmental ramifications of leaving them there. SB 1586 passed the Senate and a House committee but did not get a floor vote in the House.

Despite many bill sponsors and supporters from across the state, these environmental protection bills did not gain enough traction to pass this session. Niswonger said that it is likely not because people don’t care about the environment, but because it isn’t a top priority.

“We’re forced to keep pushing the boundaries for people to actually realize or start being affected by these decisions,” Niswonger said. “I’d say the landfill bill is a really good example of that.”

These bills saw bill sponsors and support from both sides of the aisle.

“In my opinion, I think it’s a nonpartisan issue,” Niswonger said. “I don’t even think it’s bipartisan, because, you know, we all share the Earth. We all care. We all should care about our ecosystems. We’re all affected by it.”