The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday backed off a proposal that Republicans contended would have banned the conversion of street vehicles into racing cars.
In an email to congressional staffers Friday obtained by the Washington Examiner, Carolyn Levine, team leader in the EPA’s Office of Congressional Affairs, wrote that the agency’s greenhouse gas emission standards for medium and heavy-duty engines and vehicles will not contain the proposed language that could have banned racing vehicles.
“EPA supports motorsports and its contributions to the American economy and communities all across the country,” Levine wrote.
“EPA’s focus is not on vehicles built or used exclusively for racing, but on companies that don’t play by the rules and that make and sell products that disable pollution controls on motor vehicles used on public roads. These unlawful defeat devices pump dangerous and illegal pollution into the air we breathe.”
Earlier this week, top Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee sent the EPA a letter asking for further examination of the proposal.
Reps. Fred Upton, Ed Whitfield and Richard Hudson signed onto a letter to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy questioning why the regulation seemingly reneged on decades of EPA support for vehicle racing.
Hudson cheered the EPA’s decision.
“The EPA’s proposed racing regulation threatened the way of life for a lot of Americans who enjoy modifying cars for competition and a billion-dollar industry of aftermarket folks who make the parts,” the North Carolina Republican said.
“After persistent and vocal opposition from myself, my colleagues and race car enthusiasts, I’m pleased to see that the EPA reconsidered. Like I promised when I found out about this ridiculous government overreach, we didn’t just sound the alarm on this — we stopped it. This is a huge win for common sense, North Carolina jobs and the future of racing.”
Hudson introduced a bill in the House last month to block the regulation after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio made the proposal an issue in the Republican presidential race.
The EPA is set to issue the new rule in July. It is aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles with disabled pollution controls, such as the “clean diesel” cars sold by Volkswagen in violation of Clean Air Act rules.
