YOUNGSTOWN Youngstown City Council will consider extending a moratorium on a controversial tire and plastic pyrolysis facility, a move fueled by concerns over the project’s environmental impact and the financial turmoil of the company proposing it.

The proposed ordinance, proposed by Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Ray and scheduled for a vote next week, seeks to renew the current ban on constructing or operating a pyrolysis or gasification plant for 12 months, effective November 22. The ban would apply to facilities that convert chipped tires, plastics, and electronic waste into fuel.

The legislation specifically addresses the planned pyrolysis unit by SOBE Thermal Energy Systems in downtown Youngstown. City leaders originally imposed the moratorium in late 2023 and renewed it in late 202

See Full Page