*** Senate Energy Bill S. 517 ***
Don't know if this has been covered here yet, but as a trailer boater and occasional amatuer racecar driver and hauler this bothers me:
NEWS From BoatU.S. Boat Owners Association of The United States 880 S. Pickett St., Alexandria, VA 22304 News Room at www.BoatUS.com March 11, 2002 Senate Measure Threatens Towing Vehicles ---------------------------------------- Millions of boaters and anglers who depend upon pickup trucks, sport utility vehicles and minivans to tow their vessels to the nation's waterways may end up with their boats high and dry if the current version of an energy bill now in the U.S. Senate is approved. A comprehensive energy bill being debated in the Senate, S. 517, would mandate a significant increase in the fuel economy standards for all passenger cars, vans and trucks by combining them into one class of vehicle. The so-called Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) rating for all vehicles less than 10,000 lbs. would be raised to 35 miles per gallon by 2013. There are currently two standards, 27.5 mpg for cars and 20.7 mpg for "light trucks" which includes pickup trucks less than 8,500 lbs., minivans and sport utility vehicles (SUVs). Automakers maintain that such a standard for all vehicles will force them to drastically down-size American cars and trucks to reach the 35 mpg target. The Bush Administration is strongly opposed to S. 517. "The existing CAFE standards are one of the reasons there are now so few automobiles even capable of towing a boat," notes BoatU.S. founder Richard Schwartz, whose 530,000-member association is the largest organization of recreational boat owners in the country. "While we certainly must work to decrease our dependence on foreign oil and reduce emissions, we shouldn't have to use a brush so broad that it effectively prohibits millions of American anglers and boaters from trailering their bass boats to their favorite fishing spot on the weekends," he added. An alternative measure offered by Sens. "Kit" Bond (R-MO) and Carl Levin (D-MI) would return the setting of new CAFE standards to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and order the agency to draw up new standards for separate categories of cars and trucks by a specified date. Another alternative would be to create a separate standard for towing vehicles used for recreation or agriculture that would be exempt from the overall standards. BoatU.S. is urging all trailer boaters to contact their own senators as soon as possible and express their opposition to S. 517. At least 80% of America's 13 million boats are trailerable. To find your own senator, go to http://www.BoatUS.com/gov/contact.htm For more background on the CAFE issue go to http://www.VehicleChoice.org/cafe |
A couple of years ago, Boating Industry International ran a story that stated "Canada is suing the State of California for its ban on MTBE." I wonder what ever happened with that?
I guess if the government is capable of banning two-cycle engines, they are capable of anything. I'd watch this one, although I don't think it will pass given the current state of the economy. Thanks for posting the links. I hope everyone here has the foresight to use them. |
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