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*** Senate Energy Bill S. 517 ***

Old 03-11-2002, 11:21 PM
  #1  
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Default *** 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
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Old 03-12-2002, 05:48 AM
  #2  
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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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