URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT!!!

URGENT LEGISLATIVE ALERT

Legislation to Repeal Old Car Emissions Exemption Introduced AGAIN in California Senate

As predicted, legislation has been reintroduced in the California Senate to repeal the state's current rolling emissions test exemption for vehicles 30 years old and older. S.B. 708 repeals the current pro-hobbyist exemption and replaces it with an exemption for vehicles that are 45 or more model years old commencing January 1, 2005.

We Urge You to Contact Your State Senators Immediately to Oppose S.B. 708

Existing law in California exempts all pre-1974 vehicles from emissions testing until 2003. After 2003, vehicles 30-years old and older are exempt from emissions testing.

California's current emissions testing exemption recognizes the minimal impact of vehicles 30-years old and older on vehicle emissions and air quality.

Vehicles 30-years old and older constitute a small portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reduction.

Antique and classic vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven (about one-third the miles each year as a new vehicle).

Legislators and regulators are feeling the heat from a failed effort to meet air quality goals and are looking for a convenient scapegoat. The old car hobby should not carry the burden of their mistakes!

Contact your state senators to oppose S.B. 708. To find out who your state senators are, contact the California Senate general information line at 916/445-4311. This information can also be accessed via the Internet at <http://www.enjoythedrive.com/legislative/contact_legislator.asp> or by calling the SEMA Washington, DC office at 202-783-6007 ext. 39. Please fax a copy of your letters to us at 202/783-6024 or mail to:

SEMA Washington Office

1317 F St., NW, Ste. 500

Washington, D.C. 20004

Attn: Steve McDonald/Brian Caudill

Tom,

Thanks for posting this. If you ever wonder why this keeps coming up, just follow the money. In CA, the 'buy back' programs are funded by the state with money from industry and refiners. If your older model car is registered and operated, then fails a smog inspection, you are now eligible for a buy back. Amounts vary, but it is generally $150-$450.

The buy back cars are then crushed... whole. No parts recovery allowed. For every car removed from the roads, industry accumulates EPA points that can then be traded against pollution penalties. In short, it's cheaper to buy the points than correct the industrial pollution problem.

The single-minded, blind-to-reality, wrong-headedness of al queda is eclipsed by few organizations. The CARB is one.

JMC

Thanks for the input John. My state senator is a Republican so I was thinking he would be against this bill because it hurts the aftermarket parts companies. Now I am unsure because it looks like the bill helps big business. All the more reason for me to write and point out a few things.

As a career environmentalist, you guys have no idea how embarassing baloney like this is. John is 100% right about the impetus for car crushing. However, don't believe that the professional people who are paid to administer the program actually believe this tripe, they just don't have a choice. These <span style="font-style: italic">bought-and-paid-for</span> programs come from the <span style="font-style: italic">bought-and-paid-for</span> politicians that <span style="font-weight: bold">we</span> voted in. That's where my tag line came from.

Watch who you vote for.

Dave,

We're going to be on opposite sides of the fence on this one, too. You've no idea of the militancy of the environmentalists involved in this. It's downright scary and completely devoid of reason and/or common sense. They've managed to push an environmental agenda that, in addition to mindless destruction of old cars, has raised the cost of doing business in CA to the point that it has seriously damaged the economy. You're right on the button about the pols, though. In the case of the CARB, they happen to be appointed, but it's by the bought and paid fors in Sacarmento.

Here are the facts of this "legislative alert".

It was buried in a flurry of air pollution mitigation proposals:

http://www.intellisearchnow.com/pwrpub_view.scml?ppa=6iiqx%60Zdcjptxy%5BUkgy30qbfeiZv