WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-MI), Energy and Power Subcommittee Chairman Ed Whitfield (R-KY), and committee member Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), today sent a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy requesting legal justification for the agency’s proposed regulation on racing vehicle modifications.
According to a recent report in Automotive News, “An EPA proposal to slash greenhouse gas emissions by medium and heavy duty vehicles would also ban the conversion of street cars into racecars, with far-reaching effects on auto racing and the aftermarket parts industry."
In the letter to Administrator McCarthy, the committee leaders question the proposed regulatory changes, writing, “We remain doubtful that this proposed policy change complies with Congressional intent, which we believe is to exempt racing vehicles from the Clean Air Act’s provisions." The leaders also pose questions regarding the notification of current participants in the racing modification industry and the potential impacts of the proposed regulation on small businesses across the country.
In comments recently submitted to the EPA %7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=64314471), the Specialty Equipment Market Association highlighted the perils to small business. The association wrote, “The EPA has failed to conduct an analysis of how small businesses would be impacted or any cost-benefit analysis on the race vehicle provisions as required under the Reg-Flex Act and the Congressional Review Act. For example, the EPA’s rule would prohibit the sale of racing products for vehicles that started life as street vehicles but which have been converted into racing vehicles. If this change remains in the final rule, thousands of businesses selling products for use on converted racing vehicles would be considered to be operating outside the law overnight."
See Also
* Letter to EPA Administrator McCarthy on Agency's Proposed Regulation on Racing Vehicle Modifications
* Upton, Whitfield, and Hudson Applaud EPA’s Decision to Slam Brakes On Proposed Regs On Auto Racing
