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: Join SAN on SEMA.org NOW! : June 26, 2001 : Texas Says Yes to Voluntary Emission System Repair and Upgrade, Provides Way
: to Avoid Vehicle Scrappage
: Washington, D.C. - In a victory for SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market
: Association), Texas Governor Rick Perry signed into law a bill that allows
: counties to incorporate voluntary emissions-system repair and upgrades into
: their inspection and maintenance programs as one of several options
: available to qualified motorists.
: “SEMA is optimistic that the upgrade option it convinced legislators to
: adopt and fund will steer motorists away from the state’s vehicle scrappage
: program,” said SEMA Director of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. “Data
: has shown that voluntarily upgrading older vehicles with newer technologies
: can be roughly twice as cost effective as scrapping vehicles.”
: Under the new law, the state will help certain car owners who wish to
: voluntarily repair and upgrade their vehicles to comply with state emission
: requirements. Vehicles qualifying for the program must have failed an
: emissions test and be functionally operational and registered in a county
: implementing the program for at least two years. Vehicles registered as
: classic and those not regularly used for transportation are not eligible for
: the new program. The emissions upgrade program will receive primary funding
: from fees collected through mandated emissions inspections.
: The law also mandates the appointment of an advisory committee composed of
: parties affected by the program, including hobbyists and industry, to advise
: and make recommendations on the development and implementation of the
: program. The group will help identify and protect vehicles with intrinsic
: value as an existing or future collectible.
: Earlier this year, SEMA disseminated information to Texas legislators that
: provided a factual account of the benefits of voluntary repair and upgrade.
: SEMA advised adapting newer technologies to older vehicles on a voluntary
: basis as a means to achieve surplus air quality benefits. “Numerous
: commercially available products and technologies exist which can
: substantially lower the emission rates of older vehicles while also offering
: the owner considerable benefits in terms of performance, driveability and
: fuel mileage,” McDonald explained. “The gains associated with both repair
: and upgrade have demonstrated durability over time and the emissions
: reductions can be expected to last at least as long as the remaining life
: assigned to vehicles in most scrappage programs. An approach that allows
: for a repair-upgrade option also provides maximum benefits to those entities
: that require flexibility in meeting their emission reduction requirements
: without hurting those who must rely on low cost transportation.”
: SEMA is a national trade association composed of more than 4,600 member
: companies that make up the specialty automotive equipment industry. The
: seven diverse niches in which SEMA members specialize include light truck,
: off-road, racing and performance, street rod and restoration, and restyling.
: All combined, the markets add up to $24.68 billion in retail business
: annually.
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