Hi Listers,
Just got this information and thought it should be posted.
Good news. It appears the letter writing campaign by enthusiasts to
dissuade California lawmakers from enacting yet another car crushing bill
has been successful. For more, please read the following excerpt from the
SEMA newsletter, Driving Force.
Best regards,
David L. Vrba
'62 Sprite MKII (Still needing clutch replacement)
Dublin, CA
____________________________________________________________________________
California Abandons Plan to Destroy Pre-1970 Cars
Under pressure from California SEMA Action Network members, environmental
groups and SEMA, legislation that threatened to allow carmakers to crush
pre-1970 vehicles in exchange for credits toward their obligations under the
state's Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) program was discarded by California
legislators.
Under the abandoned bill, owners who surrendered their vehicles for
destruction would have received a voucher of at least $2,500 for purchasing
a newer vehicle. The program was intended for implementation in low-income
communities located in areas designated as having severe air pollution.
"SEMA feels strongly that the scrappage provision represented an
ill-conceived and failed approach to cleaning the air and would have
actually hurt more low-income drivers than it would have helped," said SEMA
Director of Government Affairs Steve McDonald. "Essentially, the bill
ignored the fact that lower income car owners often cannot afford to
purchase new or even newer used vehicles with the money provided by the
program."
SEMA has long maintained that scrappage programs rely on the flawed premise
that crushing older cars will result in increased emissions reductions. The
fact is, this is rarely the case. In particular, the bill provided no means
to verify emissions reductions from vehicles destroyed and failed to
recognize that pre-1970 cars are scarce or are rarely driven in the first
place. The legislation also made no provision for rescuing valuable parts
and parts-cars for repair and restoration projects.
SEMA Action Network Director Brian Caudill noted, "We would like to thank
the many California enthusiasts who made the effort to contact their
legislators." Letters to legislators from SEMA Network Clubs, such as the IV
Ever Low Club, Riviera Owners Club, Buick GS Owners Club, Austin-Healey Club
of Northern California, Pomona Valley Corvette Association, Salinas Valley
Classic Chevy Club, the Antique Automobile Club of America, Foothills
Region, and others may have made the difference between saving and crushing
pre-1970
vehicles.
Brian Caudill, Editor
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