I'm forwarding this off of Collisionweek.com This just makes me want
to shoot every tree hugger out there. I'm sick of fighting these
stupid games with these people. Read below.......
Bill,
Tidewater Mopar Club President
....Oh yeah, Hope you can make it to our summer show. Details at
www.moparmadness.info
>From Collisionweek.com:
Aftermarket Industry Opposes Vehicle Scrappage Legislation
Representatives of the automotive aftermarket industry vowed to fight
federal funding of old vehicle scrappage ("car crusher") programs
included in the U.S. Department of Transportation's "Safe and Flexible
Transportation Efficiency Act of 2003" (SAFETEA) which was released
Wednesday.
Title I, Section 1601 of the SAFETEA would reverse a long-standing
prohibition on federal funding of state-run vehicle scrappage plans
through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
(CMAQ), administered by the Federal Highway Administration. In this
case, U.S. taxpayer dollars would be used to purchase and crush cars
made in 1979 and before.
Scrappage will not achieve its intended goal of improving air quality,
but it will damage automotive aftermarket businesses and eliminate
American jobs.
Under the program, states would use federal CMAQ funds to turn pre-1980
vehicles into blocks of scrap metal. "Classic" or "parts cars" would
not be spared from the crusher. Salvageable used parts would be lost
rather than being rebuilt and reused to keep other vehicles running.
In reality, the federal dollars would likely purchase 24+ years old
cars that are not frequently driven. The program would also have a
disproportionately adverse effect on lower and fixed-income Americans
who depend on older vehicles and their replacement parts for daily
transportation.
In addition, there is no guarantee scrapped vehicles would be replaced
by cleaner running or more fuel-efficient models. Scrappage programs
typically offer owners who surrender vehicles for crushing a cash
payment towards the purchase of another vehicle. However, the payment
hardly is enough to cover the cost of even a down payment on a newer
used car; and there is nothing to prevent someone from receiving
payment for scrapping a clean-running and fuel- efficient 1979 compact
car and replacing it with a potentially more-polluting, and likely less
fuel-efficient light truck or SUV.
Opponents maintain that scrappage programs sound good but they don't
work. Congress has abandoned at least nine such measures over the past
decade once they became educated to the fact that scrappage programs
are not cost-effective and do not positively impact air quality
emissions. In addition, the automotive aftermarket industry's
substantial experience with state-level scrappage proposals indicates
that most states elect not to use or discontinue implementation of
vehicle scrappage programs as a method for meeting air- quality goals
based on their cost and failure to demonstrate real benefits.
The opposition statement was made on behalf of the Alliance of
Automotive Service Providers (AASP), Automatic Transmission Service
Group (ATSG), Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA),
Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA), Automotive Parts
Rebuilders Association (APRA), Automotive Warehouse Distributors
Association (AWDA), Production Engine Remanufacturers Association
(PERA), SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, Service
Stations Dealers of America and Allied Trades (SSDA-AT) and Tire
Industry Association (TIA).
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