By now you’ve no doubt heard the talk about the EPA trying to shut down race cars for good. Their proposal to expand the Clean Air Act has been seen by most as an overreach in policy, and a breach of rights by others. If you care about protecting race cars both now and in the future, you can help. However if you aren’t sure how to participate to protect your rights to modify and build race cars, here are some of the common RPM Act facts below.
SEMA’s SAN Network has enacted the Recognizing Protection of Motorsports Act, otherwise known as the RPM Act. There are several RPM Act facts to understand before you get involved. Take some time to read through these simple RPM Act facts to see what you can do to help protect race cars.
What is the RPM Act?
Otherwise known as recognizing the particular motorsports act of 2016, the RPM Act is a simple piece of legislature. All it does is simply confirm that under the clean air act it is always been legal to modify a street vehicle and turn it into a purpose built race machine.
What is the EPA deadline?
The rule is scheduled to be finalized by July 2016. That’s why SEMA needs your support in protecting our rights and our cars. You can also tell the White House directly, using this online petition.
RPM Act facts – How are Race Cars Illegal?
They aren’t currently, however if the EPA has anything to say about it they soon will be illegal. In the past Congress has always stopped the EPA from regulating racecars.
Because these are purpose built track machines they are excluded from the Clean Air Act and the EPA’s definition of a motor vehicle. In July of 2015 however the EPA issued a proposed rule that would make tampering with emissions certified vehicles illegal.
The EPA further clarified that this is considered tampering and that a vehicle is forever a motor vehicle that subject to the same rules under the Clean Air Act. This is to be enforced under their new proposal even if the vehicle is never driven on public roads again.
Why isn’t there more public outcry?
The EPA bundled this new proposal into a 629 page unrelated greenhouse gas proposal for trucks and buses. In doing so the EPA failed to alert the public, causing many eyebrows to raise in the industry. To this day the EPA has not made an official remark or comment regarding their suggested proposal. In other words without the SAN network and SEMA intervening we would have already lost the right to modify our vehicles.
Who is affected by the Clean Air Act proposal?
If the EPA succeeds, the proposal would affect any American that owned the vehicle originally certified to federal emissions standards. Because federal emissions standards date back to 1968, all vehicles would be affected within this time range. The EPA’s proposal would make it illegal to sell emissions related racing products for these vehicles. Shops and installers would have to turn away potential customers and installations.
I don’t own a race car, how does this affect me?
Even if you don’t own a race car it’s fair to say that the economic impact would affect you in some way. Because the automotive aftermarket industry employs roughly 1,000,000 Americans across 50 states, there’s no doubt that the EPA proposal would negatively impact the economy. Aftermarket products on the whole add up to about $1.4 billion annually, that’s a chunk of cash that would potentially be lost.
RPM Act facts – How will the RPM Act help?
Even though Congress has already protected racecars from EPA RPM apt would help clarify and forever protect these rights for Americans. The RPM Act simply has to pass in order to protect our nation’s racing industry and pastime as well as heritage.
Take action now and join SEMA in the fight to protect our race cars. Head over to their website or subscribe to My Pro Street to learn more.
