Prevent the EPA from Banning Vehicle Modification!

[Department Of Boost]

The law was passed in the '60s. They can enforce it on all cars made since then, if they want to, starting in 2018. They are not creating a new law; they are "clarifying" existing regulations.

IDK where the link is and I'm kinda slammed right now but Jalopnik reported that these particular changes were part of some 600 page EPA regulation thing that was written recently. Very recently. The EPA claiming that these laws have always been on the books is a bit of slight of hand.

How'd you like to be at kenne Bell, Roush, Vortech or even DOB when the cease and desist letter for "offroad vehicle" supercharger kits comes in from the EPA?

And people wonder how "extremists" are created.

They have a CARB E.O. EPA could interpret modify strictly, i.e. no changes period.

That's the problem with this whole deal. The EPA can make up any law they want any time they want and there is no vote on it. Which is in violation of the Constitution.

 

[Pentalab]

How many ( as a %) cars are actually modified ?? I mean like out of the total number of vehicles on the road, and /or sold in a given year. How many seconds of each day is the Roush blower actually being used ? Will the air be any cleaner cuz joe hotrod drags out his stang every spring, and uses it on weekends ?

This really is beyond stupid. But they don't use tail pipe sniffers anymore in most places, so they actually have no clue what the emissions on any car really are. If the OBD sez ....'it's all fine' isn't much of a test at all. So the EPA thinks the..'fix' is to just eventually ban any aftermarket eng / exhaust mods labelled....'off road use only'.

Still baffles me why LT's are banned in California. LT's are free hp. If they mandated oem cats or aftermarket cats, fine. I can see them bitching about no cats at all. IMO, oem cats or aftermarket catted X or H is ample enough as far as emissions go.

 

[Sky Render]

EPA could interpret modify strictly, i.e. no changes period.

That's my biggest concern. If the EPA makes aftermarket cams, superchargers, or even air intakes and cat-back exhaust illegal, our hobby is done.

IDK where the link is and I'm kinda slammed right now but Jalopnik reported that these particular changes were part of some 600 page EPA regulation thing that was written recently. Very recently. The EPA claiming that these laws have always been on the books is a bit of slight of hand.

It's a clarification of an existing law. Ergo, they can enforce the new "clarifications" all the way back to the date that the law was passed.

Screw the EPA. Seriously. It's a bunch of unelected bureaucrats who can unilaterally create regulations that affect literally any aspect of your life. And those same bureaucrats basically have zero technical knowledge about what they create regulations for. (You think some GS-11 puke at the EPA could actually explain to you the effects of aftermarket modifications of an internal combustion engine on pollution? I sincerely doubt it.) And if that doesn't scare the everloving snot out of you, I don't know what will.

 

[Department Of Boost]

And if that doesn't scare the everloving snot out of you, I don't know what will.

Yes, it scares the crap out of me. This big government stuff is getting way out of hand. And I don't see any way to turn the tide. The ruling class is too entrenched and the public at large either doesn't care, or is too stupid to understand.

 

[Sky Render]

And I'm concerned that us gear heads are too few in number and not wealthy enough to actually fix this particular problem. The majority of Americans will see this news and not think twice.

 

[TexasBlownV8]

And I'm concerned that us gear heads are too few in number and not wealthy enough to actually fix this particular problem. The majority of Americans will see this news and not think twice.

I disagree with part of your statement. The average American who hears of "this EPA crap" will think about the black-bellowing diesel truck that they saw the other day, or that old clunker of a car that was blowing out smoke during rush hour. And then blindly agree that all vehicles should be included.
Politicians are not likely to be out cruising around on weekends in a project car that is optimized for performance, so they have no f'ing idea other than listening to the tree huggers.

What about small engines? (lawn mowers, chain ways, etc.) Those bastards REALLY pollute! What about big machinery? A LOT of them, especially older ones, are worse than older cars.

Are their laws going to kill off-road motor sports altogether?

Percentage wise, this whole issue probably affects what, less than 1% of all vehicles on the road that within 5 years old or newer (I don't know, just guessing).

This is all so

 

[Unreal]

Nothing that new here. Most mods are already illegal for street use. Cams, tunes, long tubes, etc are currently illegal.

Not sure why everyone is freaking out about this. Now if the enforcement changes to start enforcing the laws, that could be a major issue. Out of my 5 vehicles, technically I think 1 is legal, the rest all have modifications that mess with the emissions/etc.

 

[waylander]

oh great news! Wher ethe US leads on shit like this, the fucktards in Europe happily follow

 

[darrens07gt]

Signed. As far as I'm concerned the EPA = Extreme Pricks Association.


LOL, I had to correct my own quote. hahaha

 

[Sky Render]

Signed. As far as I'm concerned the EPA = Extreme Dickheads Association.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 using Tapatalk

 

[tjm73]

It's time for Congress to reign the EPA in a little bit. They are creating laws and regulations without representative debate.

 

[darrens07gt]

It's time for Congress to reign the EPA in a little bit. They are creating laws and regulations without representative debate.

Obama would just write an executive order allowing them to disregard anything congress says. That's how he rolls. I just hope the republicans win this time around because queen Hillary or socialist Sanders won't be much of an improvement.

 

[waylander]

mind you is all this shit going on just to take people's minds off the total fuck-up with the water in Flint, Michigan? The fuckers were all cool with that.....

just sayin'

 

[Timmbo]

Nothing that new here. Most mods are already illegal for street use. Cams, tunes, long tubes, etc are currently illegal.

Not sure why everyone is freaking out about this. Now if the enforcement changes to start enforcing the laws, that could be a major issue.

I agree. But enforcement is highly, highly doubtful in states other than the Republic of California. As a former Harley nut, it wasn't but 4 or 5 years ago the EPA was allegedly going to come down "hard" on all the aftermarket companies making exhaust for Harley's. If you were caught with an exhaust on your bike that wasn't factory or stamped EPA/DOT approved than you could face stiff fines and all this ridiculous bullshit.

I live around Nashville, and the cops in and around couldn't give a rats ass what you've done to your vehicle as long as it isn't absolutely obnoxious and your acting like a fool. We have one of the largest Cars and Coffee events in the region and the local city cops provide security and the regulars love working the event and talking with the owners.

The government is broke. To me this is nothing but chest puffing from the EPA. They don't have the manpower to back it up. And local municipalities sure as hell don't have the manpower or funds to support the enforcement either. So....relax folks.

 

[Boaisy]

The White House petition is over 110k signatures, up from the 30k yesterday.

 

[Department Of Boost]

Nothing that new here. Most mods are already illegal for street use. Cams, tunes, long tubes, etc are currently illegal.

The regulation says that you can't mod your OFF ROAD (race cars) vehicle either. Which means you can't mod any car ever for any reason.

That is a huge issue if the EPA decides to enforce it. Not a huge issue for you, the end user, because they probably won't go after individuals. But if they go after the manufacturers you won't be able to mod your cars anymore because no one will be making parts for them. They would simply cut off the head of the snake.

It would be easy for them to go after the manufacturers. Not a lot of manpower needed there.

Not sure why everyone is freaking out about this.

The potential collapse of a $36B/yr industry is something to freak out about.

I agree. But enforcement is highly, highly doubtful in states other than the Republic of California.

Tell that to all the people that had their "grey market" Land Rovers, Skylines, Mini's, etc seized and CRUSHED over the past couple of years.

The government is broke. To me this is nothing but chest puffing from the EPA. They don't have the manpower to back it up. And local municipalities sure as hell don't have the manpower or funds to support the enforcement either. So....relax folks.

If they start handing out $37,500 fines (which is what the fine is PER INSTANCE) they will have plenty of $$$ to cover the manpower needed.

And when has the government ever left money on the table? For that matter how many times have you see the government spend $2M to collect $1M? The Bundy family comes to mind.

Assuming that the government does things based on logic is a mistake.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

Obama would just write an executive order allowing them to disregard anything congress says. That's how he rolls. I just hope the republicans win this time around because queen Hillary or socialist Sanders won't be much of an improvement.

Well he'll be out of office soon enough.. If the republicans for whatever reason don't win this time around, I'd much rather settle for socialist Sanders over queen Hilary the clit Clinton as the lesser of two evils any day lol.

 

[bcb06gt]

Well he'll be out of office soon enough.. If the republicans for whatever reason don't win this time around, I'd much rather settle for socialist Sanders over queen Hilary the clit Clinton as the lesser of two evils any day lol.

That is like choosing between being thrown to the lions of the Roman Empire or meeting the sword of Lorana Bobit. Sure, the lions get fed and hundreds are amused - everyone is happy.

 

[06 T-RED S/C GT]

That is like choosing between being thrown to the lions of the Roman Empire or meeting the sword of Lorana Bobit. Sure, the lions get fed and hundreds are amused - everyone is happy.

Well I know who I'm voting for.. Whomever ends up as the republican nominee

 

[08StangGT_CS]

Signed the White House petition. 133K now.