WTF...EPA seeks to outlaw mods of street bikes/vehicles for RaceTrack!

This would be a lot more helpful if they cited to the actual proposed language of the bill... or cited to anything at all, really. This blog post is the equivalent of a rumor, they provide no substantive backing for what they are saying.

Further, the title of the bill "Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles—Phase 2." gives the impression that on;y specific vehicle types are being targeted for regulation. The blog post goes on to say that all vehicle types would be effected but gives no source for this statement, nor do they even specifically mention motorcycles.

I would not be overly worried about this regulation until there is actual real information to go off of. People have been selling aftermarket parts that are illegal for street use for years and the government has not done anything about it. It is clear that the intent of the EPA is not to put this industry in the grave, and there is nothing in this article to suggest that is there intent. I think this post is making some pretty large assumptive leaps in characterizing un-cited proposed EPA rules as a targeted killing blow at racing and the aftermarket industry.

Also, people have a very construed perception of the EPA. Policy makers and attorneys at US EPA are not stupid, they are quite aware that racing exhaust is a beyond negligible portion of GHG emissions from vehicles. They would not waste hundreds of thousands of dollars regulating something like this when the economic gain would be near-zero.

Edit: Just realized that literally all the information we have on this comes from a SEMA press release, an interest group heavily invested in the automotive industry. These guys are part organization, part political interest group/lobbyist firm. Of course they are going to make potshots at EPA and do everything they can to portray them in a bad light, EPA is the enemy of the energy and automotive industries. I would be willing to guess that they are latching onto this provision to get smaller niche groups in opposition to the bill as a whole, which would impose new regulations on motor vehicles in general and which industry groups grounded in fossil fuel energy usage will clearly be opposed to.

Its never as simple as it seems. Please do not take a press release by a biased source as hard fact that a government agency is out to put racing and aftermarket sales in their graves. There is much more at play here for EPA and SEMA than the minute provision regarding racing vehicles.

vercify said:

I would not be overly worried about this regulation until there is actual real information to go off of. People have been selling aftermarket parts that are illegal for street use for years and the government has not done anything about it. It is clear that the intent of the EPA is not to put this industry in the grave, and there is nothing in this article to suggest that is there intent. I think this post is making some pretty large assumptive leaps in characterizing un-cited proposed EPA rules as a targeted killing blow at racing and the aftermarket industry.

Click to expand...

I hope you are right as well, but if this part is true (If being the keyword here), then I dont know what to say. My understanding is that you are allowed to buy emissions altering products such as headers, exhausts, fuel controllers etc. As it stands, if you are pulled over and the LEO spots something like that, you get a fix it ticket, since the said product is typically labelled as "not for public road use" or something to that effect.

"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."

Lead free bullets and fishing lures and weights are the future. Darn I took my smog pump off and my cat and installed a full exhaust and a pcv. Warning not for street use ya da ya da. My bike isn't even loud or sending smoke signals to the gods compared to some of the cars busses trucks on the road with there getto muffler madness. and as for sound HD's they shake the ground and are loud as heck and the R6 and R1 I can here them miles away ripping down the road(music to my ears) and thats with a stock setup. When I'm not riding my little 45 hp law breaking R3. I'm driving my legal gas guzzling GMC Vortex 6.2 liter AWD 12 miles per gallon average. Its my tow ride for my trailer (Airstream) and / kid mobile soccer and such. Ive saved lots of gas not driving it as much. Now that I have the illegal street bike. Thats good for the environment I'm doing my part and the wife's getting one of the electric Tesla cars lol. I'm saving water too sometime when I'm camping in the woods I p** on the grass 1.6 gallons of water saved every time.

Copied from my Congressman Griffiths 9th district of Virginia weekly newsletter dated 3/14/16(copied from here):

EPA’s War on… Stock Cars?

As Ronald Reagan might say, “there you go again.” Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations impact many aspects of our economy such as energy, manufacturing, agriculture, etc., and it seems the agency may now have our hobbies and pastimes in its crosshairs (See bottom of column on how to have your voice heard at the EPA).

Members of my legislative staff compile what we call our “Daily Legislative Memo.” This document, which is emailed to me, compiles information on any votes scheduled for that day, various pieces of constituent input, and several news items of note.

Over the last week or so, among pieces of constituent input were messages in support of the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (H.R. 4715), which deals with a proposed regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that, according to the messages, proposes “to outlaw the conversion of street vehicles into race-only vehicles.”

Have they not heard of NASCAR and its history?

The beginning of NASCAR, as you may know, is closely connected to bootlegging. Some drivers would modify their cars to more effectively haul illicit whiskey made in Appalachia and better evade the police.

Drivers began hauling moonshine, using their oftentimes modified vehicles to avoid “revenuers,” those attempting to tax them. The cars were getting better and better and, eventually, races for pride and for profit began taking place featuring, as Jim Croce might sing, these “dirt track demons in their ’57 Chevrolets.”

Racing events, of course, remain quite popular in and around the Ninth District. You might be familiar with or have even attended races at nearby tracks such as Wythe Raceway in Rural Retreat, the Martinsville Speedway, the Bristol Motor Speedway, and what is now known as the Motor Mile Speedway in Dublin, etc.

For decades, street vehicles have been transformed into racecars used exclusively at the track.

Regrettably, the EPA doesn’t seem to share in the belief that converting a street vehicle into a racecar is an important part of American automotive culture.

The agency recently issued a proposed rule, the “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles-Phase 2,” which would prohibit that practice from continuing. It would be illegal to convert a vehicle if its emission system is modified and taken out of compliance from its stock configuration.

Congress, though, didn’t intend for this to be so. While the Clean Air Act authorizes the EPA to regulate motor vehicles, “nonroad” vehicles such as the racecars NASCAR uses in events such as the Sprint Cup Series are exempt because their engines were not manufactured to be used on public roadways.

While NASCAR is exempt, not exempt would be the many amateurs and enthusiasts who “improve” on cars manufactured for street use, but which are only used on the racetrack. Further, the EPA’s position would prohibit both engine modifications and engine swaps if what results differs from the original emissions-certified configuration. This would be the case even if the vehicle would then be used solely for competition and never again on the street.

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act would block the EPA’s attempts to regulate modified motor vehicles used for racing. Accordingly, I am cosponsoring this bill as I believe this EPA rule would constitute a new regulation and would bypass the Congressional intent of the Clean Air Act.

This would not be the first time the EPA attempted to bypass Congressional intent of the Clean Air Act – former Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, who wrote the Clean Air Act, has said that he never anticipated that legislation would be used to regulate carbon dioxide, which the EPA is currently working to do.

The love of racing has spread from our region throughout the country, and has become a major sport and pastime for Americans from coast to coast. It would appear, unfortunately, it is not similarly loved in the alabaster halls of the eight buildings in Washington, D.C. that are occupied by the EPA.

The comment period on this EPA proposed rule has been reopened, and will close on April 1. Should you wish to make your voice heard on this matter, you may do so at the following link or by searching for “Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards: Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines and Vehicles Phase 2” on www.regulations.gov: http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=EPA-HQ-OAR-2014-0827