EPA Proposes to Ban Conversions of Street Cars to RaceCars

[BoostBumps]

The EPA wants to make it illegal to modify your car for racing

Sources:

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/02/09/...cing-sema-official/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/02/the-government-is-trying-to-ruin-racing.html

http://www.motortrend.com/news/epa-...=10153499628046312&adbpl=fb&adbpr=18332466311

"A proposal by the EPA could mean bad things for racers and car enthusiasts across the United States. According to the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the EPA wants to make it illegal to modify your roadgoing car for racing, and could even prohibit the sale of aftermaket parts that mess with emission control devices..."


...SEMA met with the EPA to confirm the agency's intentions, and issued a statement saying, "The EPA indicated that the regulation would prohibit conversion of vehicles into racecars and make the sale of certain emissions-related parts for use on converted vehicles illegal." The association added, "SEMA will continue to oppose the regulation through the administrative process and will seek congressional support and judicial intervention as necessary."


[HR][/HR]
EPA Seeks to Prohibit Conversion of Vehicles into Racecars

SEMA To Oppose Action As Threat to Modified Racecars and Parts Suppliers

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has proposed a regulation to prohibit conversion of vehicles originally designed for on-road use into racecars. The regulation would also make the sale of certain products for use on such vehicles illegal. The proposed regulation was contained within a non-related proposed regulation entitled "Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles—Phase 2."

The regulation would impact all vehicle types, including the sports cars, sedans and hatch-backs commonly converted strictly for use at the track. While the Clean Air Act prohibits certain modifications to motor vehicles, it is clear that vehicles built or modified for racing, and not used on the streets, are not the "motor vehicles" that Congress intended to regulate.

"This proposed regulation represents overreaching by the agency, runs contrary to the law and defies decades of racing activity where EPA has acknowledged and allowed conversion of vehicles," said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. "Congress did not intend the original Clean Air Act to extend to vehicles modified for racing and has re-enforced that intent on more than one occasion."

SEMA submitted comments in opposition to the regulation and met with the EPA to confirm the agency's intentions. The EPA indicated that the regulation would prohibit conversion of vehicles into racecars and make the sale of certain emissions-related parts for use on converted vehicles illegal. Working with other affected organizations, including those representing legions of professional and hobbyist racers and fans, SEMA will continue to oppose the regulation through the administrative process and will seek congressional support and judicial intervention as necessary.

The EPA has indicated it expects to publish final regulations by July 2016.

 

[WhiteFords]

The EPA just loves pissing in any sandbox where people are having fun.

What the EPA should realize is that the more money I spend modifying my cars into track cars directly correlates with them actually being driven LESS and spending more time sitting on jack stands, broken, or waiting for the next track day, etc. So the conversion of a streetcar into a 'racecar', a conversion which they are trying to prevent, actually reduces the car's carbon footprint. At the same time, I am spending money on this car which is driven only a handful of times a year, and supporting the American economy by purchasing American-made parts.

So please EPA, tell me how my track day car is so bad for America.

 

[scotman]

They are attempting to get more oversight in aftermarket components and possibly create a permitting process or some form of tax on off hiway vehicles. People who own special use vehicles are a ripe target for regulators and tax policy creators! Everyone must remember that just because you can own something does not Mean that it is OK to use it! Government will force itself into everything that could pay it tax or increase the power of the state.

 

[BronxBomber]

Soon there'll be emissions testing in every state. That's next on the agenda.

 

[RAAMaudio]

We no longer have a constitution, democracy, much if any rights left, just one more way to take control by a bunch of bought and paid for idiots that do not even realize they are just a tool in the takeover of everything possible.

They also tend to ignore the massive amount of piece of shit cars that commute over the border daily, bald tires, no brakes, no insurance, very dirty exhaust, mostly very bad drivers, politically incorrect to do anything about it.....easier to pick on those that have than those that have not.....

I totally understand that most of those drivers come here to make a living for their families as I would as well if in their situation, I just do not like being screwed by our "government" that just keeps digging a deeper hole to fall into.

-----------

All that said and I am actually an optimist with high expectations that things are turning around and going to mend quite nicely and eventually become incredibly great for all of us, not sure if in what is left of my lifetime but I am OK with that.

 

[BronxBomber]

Funny. The first part of your reply/rant, makes u sound like a pessimist. However, I fully agree with your take on the current political scenery in this once great country of ours. I refer to myself as a realist. We're not as great a country as some profess us to be. Neither are we the scum of the earth as some Nations would lead u to believe when spewing there noxious vitriol. This concludes the CNN portion of our show. Back to motoring??????

 

[RAAMaudio]

Just had to vent a bit, OK now, mostly that is

I have modded cars and trucks for close to 50 years and always made them run as clean as I could which usually meant very clean, ran cats when supposed to, have all the stuff on my 2012 Duramax dually working fully, had a big cat on the Cyborg, then EFR without but planned to put one on, spending a lot on one for the GT swap....and have ran cats on pure race cars if they did not melt.

Those that choose to run catless may not realize they are adding a bit more fuel to the fire of those wanting to take away the right to build a race car out of a street car

 

[Siestarider]

Order hotrod parts and get a carry permit while you still can. Controlling prospective emissions from firearms by limiting powder has to next on the agenda.

 

[Motorstate]

It won't pass. As big of an industry as the racing/aftermarket industry is there is no way this could pass. The billions of dollars and thousands of jobs that this bill would destroy would have astronomical effects. (My job in particular. I work at a warehouse that sells nothing but racing and high performance parts) If a car is not going to be used on the street what difference does it matter to them how I use it? Also, where do you draw the line between a race car and a street car that has been modified? does this just pertain to engine modifications or does that mean any upgrade to increase performance I do effectively turn my car into a race car? Its a stupid bill thrown at the wall to see if it will stick. It won't.

 

[Chuckable]

Complex legal documents often have conflicting language within them if for no other reason than accident or mistake. With that said, it's possible to pull out an excerpt and use that as a basis for an argument for or against your particular position. Hopefully the clarifying language will be added in exempting off-road i.e. racing vehicles and we can all go on our merry way.

 

[wrongwheeldrive]

It won't pass. As big of an industry as the racing/aftermarket industry is there is no way this could pass. The billions of dollars and thousands of jobs that this bill would destroy would have astronomical effects. (My job in particular. I work at a warehouse that sells nothing but racing and high performance parts) If a car is not going to be used on the street what difference does it matter to them how I use it? Also, where do you draw the line between a race car and a street car that has been modified? does this just pertain to engine modifications or does that mean any upgrade to increase performance I do effectively turn my car into a race car? Its a stupid bill thrown at the wall to see if it will stick. It won't.

I agree [MENTION=3366]Motorstate[/MENTION]. Aftermarket auto parts is a multi-billion dollar industry. This would be a blow to the economy in particular the small/medium sized businesses. That being said, I agree with [MENTION=636]RAAMaudio[/MENTION] in that our current state of federal govt affairs no longer closely resemble the vision our founding fathers had for this country. If Walmart or Amazon got heavily involved in aftermarket performance auto parts their lobbyists would storm Washington, demand all aftermarket parts be regulated and "approved" by the EPA, and then they would corner the market.

I don't think niche vehicle tuning will pique the attention of a large corporation, but you never know.

On the contrary, I know that LA used to have much gnarlier air pollution before the EPA wrangled in emissions. I appreciate the changes they have made for my own health and air quality and I don't mind playing along to an extent. If you want to see a country pumping out 10X the smog we are producing cruise over to China for a week and see what uncontrolled emissions are really like...

 

[Vanilla2]

Don't take the bait.

 

[BoostBumps]

Update: EPA attempts to clarify statements made earlier today

Update: EPA says your racecar is probably already illegal

Feb 9th 2016 at 4:01PM

"In any attempt to clarify its position on the modification of vehicles to be used solely for competition purposes, the Environmental Protection Agency has issued a statement to Autoblog. While we appreciate the effort to clear the air (sorry... pun intended), in reality, we're left with just as many questions as we started with." -Autoblog

http://www.autoblog.com/2016/02/09/...al-update-official/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000016

Before we go any further, here's the entire statement from agency spokeswoman Laura Allen:

"People may use EPA-certified motor vehicles for competition, but to protect public health from air pollution, the Clean Air Act has – since its inception – specifically prohibited tampering with or defeating the emission control systems on those vehicles.

The proposed regulation that SEMA has commented on does not change this long-standing law, or approach. Instead, the proposed language in the Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas rulemaking simply clarifies the distinction between motor vehicles and nonroad vehicles such as dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Unlike motor vehicles – which include cars, light trucks, and highway motorcycles – nonroad vehicles may, under certain circumstances, be modified for use in competitive events in ways that would otherwise be prohibited by the Clean Air Act.

EPA is now reviewing public comments on this proposal."- EPA

[HR][/HR]
Autoblog...

....According to this statement, it's already against the law to perform any modifications to a vehicle that result in the tampering or removal of emissions control systems, even for competition. In other words, if you have removed a catalytic converter from your racecar, you're already afoul of the rules. Conversely, if your vehicle is old enough that it didn't come with emissions control equipment in the first place, you're seemingly free and clear.

Further, the EPA claims that the new wording of its regulations only seeks to differentiate nonroad vehicles from "motor vehicles." Two nonroad vehicles specifically mentioned by the EPA include dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Any vehicle that was sold with a certificate of conformity that allows them to be used on public roads, however, are "motor vehicles" and therefore must have all their emissions controls intact. And that's regardless of whether or not the motor vehicle in question will ever actually be used on public roads.

Put another way, according to the EPA's statement, a reflash of your car's engine control unit would be illegal (it doesn't matter if it's gasoline or diesel) if it alters the car's emissions, even if you never drive that car on the street. The same would be true of a number of common modifications for cars used in competition, which would include drag racing, drifting or LeMons.

The thing is, we're still just as confused by this regulation as we were before. And so, it seems, is SEMA....

 

[D1JL]

I am a retired SMOG technician and a modification nut.
I have always maintained emission standards.
My car is quick and handles great (I know there are some better) but it will always be 100% emissions legal.

The part I hate is that this kind of legislation causes cars to be stopped for inspections based on looks and not on actual emissions tampering.


Dave

 

[Probaholic1]

This is exactly why I rally against anything that may be sensible. Intentions may be good but it's later used to just profile and used as an excuse to misuse.