RPM Act Hearing

[Bobby DiDomenico]

Originally Posted by GUMP

The RPM Act deals with the 1970 Clean Air Act as it relates to race cars. The Clean Air Act prohibits the removal of any emission control device. My understanding is that the original text has wording that exempts cars modified for racing.



On a couple of recent occasions, the EPA has tried to get the wording changed to include the conversion of VIN numbered cars for racing in their policing. This would obviously be a disaster for us!

The RPM puts it in clear language that VIN numbered cars modified for racing are exempt.

The street car thing is a different subject. I'm not sure that we could win that battle. Right now they are going after manufacturers and not end users. I have heard of some States blocking vehicle sales due to "illegal modifications".

Sadly this may all be a losing battle with pr like this':
EPA Hits Two More Diesel Tuners With $10 Million Fine For Defeat Devices
https://www.yahoo.com/now/epa-hits-t...160400802.html

[CMcAllister]

Originally Posted by Bobby DiDomenico

Sadly this may all be a losing battle with pr like this':
EPA Hits Two More Diesel Tuners With $10 Million Fine For Defeat Devices
https://www.yahoo.com/now/epa-hits-t...160400802.html

$10,000,000 fine (civil penalties) for breaking a rule no elected legislators voted on, no one proposed in a bill. Just make it up, and dare them to come fight the government.

[MR DERBY CITY]

It’s difficult to win a battle against IDIOTS . California for instance , record heat wave pushes power grid to the brink…..yet these IDIOTS insist on ELECTRIC VEHICLES and are banning the sale of new gas powered vehicles by 2035. How is that gonna work out ???

[Don Sofranko]

Well I did a quick search and found the SEMA site pretty informing.
In making sense of this, the small guy will probably never get chased down by the EPA, even if the act doesn't get passed. No custom built drag car is going to be fined, no custom off road racing engines are going to be targeted, and the off road stuff is unlikely to get banned.

On the street it could be different.
There are some pretty obnoxious diesel guys on the street, that could get some quick attention.
Common sense would tell me the EPA can't enforce local cases of a cheat device installation on a subtle tuned car here and there. I have yet to see an EPA car with red lights stopping anyone, maybe they are out there?
Can the police possibly be trained nationwide to nab a single car? Doesn't sound possible to me.

But if Larry Larson pulls out of the drag week gate with a big turbo Pro-Line engine, in a new Caddy, while acting like its really a street car, with a VIN and title, well he would be pretty game. Still they are not going to be able to police single cases, and prefer to stop the selling of defeat devices, mostly for diesels.

The SEMA argument
https://www.sema.org/epa-news

The clean air act has been around since 1963. In 2015 the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public streets or highways. Although the EPA abandoned efforts to make the policy a formal regulation, the agency still maintains the practice of modifying the emission system of a motor vehicle for the purpose of converting it for racing is illegal. Manufacturing, selling, and installing race parts for the converted vehicle would also be a violation.

===========

The other side of the argument, this site says the bill has come up, every year, the last 4-5 years.
Its a very good read, and has good info on the tug of war.
Its complicated so read before blaming one party or person (below are exerts - not my words):

https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-cooke/t...-ruin-our-air/

EPA enforcement under the Clean Air Act has found that about 1 in every 10 diesel trucks has had their emissions controls tampered with.
and
Why the RPM Act keeps coming back
As with most tiny, obscure bills like this, the reason why the RPM Act keeps on being introduced year after year is money. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is the trade association for aftermarket equipment manufacturers, including the companies manufacturing defeat devices, and they have been fighting with EPA for the exemption for at least 5 years.

On the left (SCCA corvette) is what SEMA wants you to think the RPM Act is about. However, less than 5 percent of EPA tampering actions have been for anything related to cars, and there is no evidence of EPA targeting the amateur racing industry. On the right (obnoxious diesel) is what SEMA is actually protecting with the RPM Act by shifting the burden of enforcement from the product to the use of that product.

[Don Sofranko]

So that last site I mentioned, showed an ebay example of something targeted.
A diesel particulate filter defeat tuning device kit.

I went and looked for H & S MiniMAXX tuner sales on ebay, and other sites.
Are these devices still legal?
I would say the EPA is working on them as indicated by other people who have been fined before.

[GUMP]

If the EPA doesn't have their eyes on us, then why the 2015 wording?

The gentleman from the EPA at the hearing never said that they would consider converted VIN numbered cars as exempt. He just said that they were yet to go after them.

To my knowledge, the RPM Act would not protect any street driven vehicle. As a PRI Founding Member I have been in a couple of conversations about this.

If the EPA was on our side, they wouldn't be fighting the PRI....

[SSGT Mustang]

We can be as polite as we want but that won't stop the madness. Livestock is a target for crying out loud. They want to decide what we can eat because, you know, carbon. I guess nobody explained that carbon is EVERYWHERE.

People who believe what the government says are the same people who can be sold the Brooklyn bridge by a NYC panhandler.

How can you defeat what's already been pushed way too far with no end in sight?

[CMcAllister]

Originally Posted by Don Sofranko

Well I did a quick search and found the SEMA site pretty informing.
In making sense of this, the small guy will probably never get chased down by the EPA, even if the act doesn't get passed. No custom built drag car is going to be fined, no custom off road racing engines are going to be targeted, and the off road stuff is unlikely to get banned.

On the street it could be different.
There are some pretty obnoxious diesel guys on the street, that could get some quick attention.
Common sense would tell me the EPA can't enforce local cases of a cheat device installation on a subtle tuned car here and there. I have yet to see an EPA car with red lights stopping anyone, maybe they are out there?
Can the police possibly be trained nationwide to nab a single car? Doesn't sound possible to me.

But if Larry Larson pulls out of the drag week gate with a big turbo Pro-Line engine, in a new Caddy, while acting like its really a street car, with a VIN and title, well he would be pretty game. Still they are not going to be able to police single cases, and prefer to stop the selling of defeat devices, mostly for diesels.

The SEMA argument
https://www.sema.org/epa-news

The clean air act has been around since 1963. In 2015 the EPA took the position that converted vehicles must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are no longer driven on public streets or highways. Although the EPA abandoned efforts to make the policy a formal regulation, the agency still maintains the practice of modifying the emission system of a motor vehicle for the purpose of converting it for racing is illegal. Manufacturing, selling, and installing race parts for the converted vehicle would also be a violation.

===========

The other side of the argument, this site says the bill has come up, every year, the last 4-5 years.
Its a very good read, and has good info on the tug of war.
Its complicated so read before blaming one party or person (below are exerts - not my words):

https://blog.ucsusa.org/dave-cooke/t...-ruin-our-air/

EPA enforcement under the Clean Air Act has found that about 1 in every 10 diesel trucks has had their emissions controls tampered with.
and
Why the RPM Act keeps coming back
As with most tiny, obscure bills like this, the reason why the RPM Act keeps on being introduced year after year is money. The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is the trade association for aftermarket equipment manufacturers, including the companies manufacturing defeat devices, and they have been fighting with EPA for the exemption for at least 5 years.

On the left (SCCA corvette) is what SEMA wants you to think the RPM Act is about. However, less than 5 percent of EPA tampering actions have been for anything related to cars, and there is no evidence of EPA targeting the amateur racing industry. On the right (obnoxious diesel) is what SEMA is actually protecting with the RPM Act by shifting the burden of enforcement from the product to the use of that product.

With all due respect, I have learned to never say never when it comes to the government. Especially the alphabet agencies (the 4th branch of government not mentioned in the Constitution), which are essentially who control most of our daily lives now. None of those people need to worry about being re-elected.

Current initiatives and expansion by several of them only serve to re-enforce my misgivings about the whole mess.

That said, we still need to contact our elected representatives and let them know our positions.

[Terry Cain]

Off topic, maybe.
I worked at an appliance manufacturing plant for 30 years. One of the BIG ones. Not gonna mentions name because it's not really important. This manufacture has it's corp offices in Louisville, KY. and also it's biggest facilities located there.
They use to make water softeners in the USA but it all went to China. I, one day happened to see a water softener in the warehouse. I stopped to look at the box and noticed on the box " A product of XYZ appliance company, Louisville, KY. USA."
Looked everywhere else on box and nothing about made in USA or China or ??
I guess this is legal but it sure is misleading and I'm sure they're not the only company doing it.

[Robin Lawrence]

Originally Posted by Don Sofranko

On the left (SCCA corvette) is what SEMA wants you to think the RPM Act is about. However, less than 5 percent of EPA tampering actions have been for anything related to cars, and there is no evidence of EPA targeting the amateur racing industry. On the right (obnoxious diesel) is what SEMA is actually protecting with the RPM Act by shifting the burden of enforcement from the product to the use of that product.

I disagree, Here is a link on the PRI site about a company selling stand alone ECU's to race cars specifically off road vehicles.

https://www.performanceracing.com/ma...'s%20sales.