Hot Rods RPM Bill

Any one read up on this latest sponsored bill / law now in congress

 

This what you're referring to?:

House Resolution 5434, or the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act of 2019 was introduced to the United States House of Representatives on Monday, its 10 cosponsors split across seven states and both major parties. According to a summary of the bill published on Congress' online database, the provision seeks "to amend the Clean Air Act to provide an exemption from certain anti-tampering provisions for certain actions for modifying a motor vehicle that is not legal for operation on a street or highway and is to be used solely for competition, and for other purposes." In short, this bill will make sure the EPA has no reason to come after you for de-catting your race car.

 

I had heard that the new administration had brought this back up, but when I did an internet search I could find nothing about it.

 

Go to SEMA.org for information on this bill. They (SEMA) is challenging the EPA in court.

Mick

 

Here are links to the SEMA pages with the information on this.

https://www.sema.org/epa-news

https://www.semasan.com/

 

The diesel performance crowd are the ones who raised the EPAs ire; pics/videos of Super Dutys and Dodge Rams billowing enough black exhaust smoke to make a Kenworth jealous on public streets did the trick. Selling 'off-road-only' parts with a wink and a nod won't cut it anymore. The EPA has put several vendors out of business already, now they're going after the manufacturers.

And as usual, the EPA is using an axe, not a scalpel....

 

If you would join semasan.org you would have known about this long ago. No cost to you, just a little typing and you get an email once in awhile keeping you up to date on some important shit.

 

Problem this time around is the EPA now can feed off of a lot more public opinion than ever before. The news is full of climate this -climate that. Maybe more-so than I can ever remember, doesn't matter what's true and what ain't about climate change and everything related to it. The hand wringers, naysayers and government agencies looking to justify their existence need a scape-goat and motorsport folks, racers, hotrodders and the performance industry that exists for em' are gonna pay the price.

 

This is all 1966 and later smog equipped vehicles, should not apply here.

 

in 50 years we will be back to horse and buggy as the entire world emplodes around us

 

Don’t shrug thus off as “It does not apply here” they get this passed and who knows where it ends. The diesel and tuners guys wont back us if we don’t back them.

 

Pretty sure some of the manufacturing people they will shut down make stuff that we use also.

 

From the article I saw they seem to be focused on the diesel crowd right now, so the immediate fallout shouldn't effect us. But if they get a complete victory here, you can bet they'll come for the rest of us. The majority of the gasoline vendors figured this out, you have to maintain emission specs. The diesel guys didn't, and are now paying the price.

 

If the auto manufacturers can make over 700 hp complying with smog why can't we.

 

Because we’re not running computer controlled FI/engine management here.

 

Because it's important to know what it's about:

https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/national-compliance-initiative-stopping-aftermarket-defeat-devices-vehicles-and-engines

 

I’m I missing something, isn’t it about messing with oem smog devices? I don’t see any oem smog devices here.....just my $.02.

 

That's what I was saying, smog wasn't put on vehicles until 1966 with the exception of a pcv and removal of the draft tube that really didn't work.

 

Show your support for the RPM act. The EPA is coming after all of us who modify vehicles. They are relentless .

 

Companies that supply parts for hot rods discussed here may make the bulk of their money supporting those newer cars you're referring to. If that market is shut down by the EPA those companies will go out of business, and we'll lose their support for our hot rods. We're a small segment of the automotive enthusiast market, we don't buy enough to make it worth while for many of those companies to remain in business. So yes, this affects us too.

 

You can't have tunnel vision about this bill. If they make it illegal to modify newer car's, the manufacturer's might close up shop. The people of the HAMB can't support them, they make the stuff we use pretty much as a sideline. Do you think they won't say anything about our hod rod's that have a 1975 to 1995 or later engine. They came with converter's, electronic ignition, computer controlled carb's, fuel injection. If you have a late model block- it could eventually fall under this bill. Just take's a minute to sign the petition. ( @Blues4U type's faster. )

 

How many of us are running a engine with a block built after 1966? Heads built after 1966? When you get down to it, they could go after us and make us put whatever smog equipment that was required for the year block we are running, be it 1966 or 2016. Anything from PCV valves, A.I.R. pumps, even electronic fuel injection if that block came with it. See? Anything and everything they say that is part of a "system".

This will probably get locked just like the last thread did, but you can't stick your head in the sand and say it doesn't affect us, because it does. Those who have older engines will be OK, but those of us with newer engines, mine's a 80's model 302 Ford, have a target on them for the future.

 

If we stay on topic and don't drift into politics the thread shouldn't get shut down. Just stay on topic, this isn't a left or right, liberal or conservative thing, so don't go there.

 

Thanks, I was able to send a message to my reps. and signed up for future notifications with these links.

 

I'll be the contrarian here....

First, I'd say the vast majority of the parts we use won't come under these regs. The manufacturers that are nervous are the big conglomerates like Edelbrock and Holley who have put the majority of their eggs into the late-model basket and any others who specialize in late-model stuff. And remember, the consolidation of the industry is a fairly recent thing. Before those 'investment groups' bought up everything in sight, most players were smaller concerns and only the smaller current ones with major or exclusive exposure in the late-model market have real reason for fear. All of the behemoths started as small concerns, I have no doubt that new ones will crop up if the need still exists. No one is going to shut down suppliers like Currie, Tremec, Pete & Jakes, Dennis Carpenter, etc unless they just plain declare all old cars illegal. That's a steep hill even for the EPA. The one possible major fallout for us would be if building a car completely from aftermarket parts if they decide to declare it as a 'new' car and subject to current regs. But with that exception, I don't think anyone even slightly connected to the car industry wants to go there as the policing of it would be a nightmare.

With that said, SEMA does need to pay attention to this. I just hope that they carefully choose their battle as the diesel boys have been pretty blatant in their disregard of emission standards which is part of what started this brouhaha. With what I've seen, they may deserve to be thrown under the bus if it saves the rest of us.

 

Divide and conquer. No need to throw stones at other enthusiasts. I’m sure restorers would say the exact same thing about us. Join SEMA and stay informed.

 

Steve, you have to look at the big picture on the diesel issue. I don't like " rolling coal" but to them it's like our loud pipes. What some of this is about is the mom and pop pulling the camper with their truck and a cat plug's up and it's $3 to $4 thousand, sometimes more to get back on the road. The system's that are on some of these unit's are incredibly expensive to fix. Buddy of mine work's at a shop that does a lot of diesel work and I am shocked at the horror stories the poor owner's have to deal with.

 

I have to agree that our hobby could certainly be brought into this.

It all comes down to registration time. If they change the rules about engines or "reciprocating assembly" of our cars and refuse to allow us to register....what then?

This very thing has already happened in California with certain diesel trucks....bone stock ones. They have to either install newer emissions equipment (which was never there from the factory) or they cannot register the vehicle. Let that sink in.

Could they make us install cats etc? I'd certainly think not.....but..... ^^^^ read that again.

 

Laws can't be passed to retroactively effect pretty much every car that applies here. Ex post facto. They can only enforce laws on the books when the car was new.

Diesel d!cks brought the attention, but the laws have been on the books for nearly 50 years. Enforcement is all that's changed. That said the RPM Act needs support.

 

Believe me, I get that. My son-in-law has multiple FedEx routes and a fleet of about 20 vans. He thought diesels were the way to go initially, he knows better now. He told me that even with the reduced fuel costs, cost of ownership is still considerably higher compared to his gas rigs because when those need major servicing it's big bux. Mom and Pop should have done due diligence on maintenance/repair costs before buying a diesel. I'm not sympathetic...

But the fact remains that these 'tuners' are defeating emission controls and anybody that doesn't understand that is illegal has no excuse given the noise that was made over the VW debacle. It doesn't help that some post videos on the 'net celebrating their polluting, did they think no one would see those?