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Safety and Emissions Forum Focuses on I & MPosted 12/13/2000By Robert L. Redding, Jr.
The Automotive Service Association (ASA) and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) hosted the Forum on the Future of Safety and Emissions Inspection and Maintenance. The meeting took place in Las Vegas during the Congress of Automotive Repair and Service (CARS). ASA and AAMVA met earlier this year to discuss the future of safety and emissions inspection and maintenance (I/M). Both organizations thought that there would be significant benefits from bringing the automotive industry together with regulators to dialogue about I/M programs. After several months of planning, a cross section of the industry registered to attend. A total of 110 regulators and automotive industry representatives heard from a national panel and then broke up into two workshops on safety and emissions. Panel participants included Maj. Steve Flaherty, former chairman of AAMVA's International Vehicle Safety Committee and the VSI Inspection Handbook Committee; Terry Liller with WorldCom's Safety, Emissions and OBD II Solution Team; Ed Gardetto with the U.S. EPA's Inspection and Maintenance Office in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Doug Woolverton, eastern division manager and director of Safety Inspection Equipment Division for Hunter Engineering Co.; and Betsy Tracy, manager for the Division of Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance for the Illinois EPA, and international chair for the Vehicle Safety and Inspection Committee at AAMVA. Martha Ann Porter Irwin, AAMVA board chair, and Linda Lewis, newly appointed CEO of AAMVA, also made opening remarks. Charlie Elder, ASA Mechanical Operations Committee member from Tallahassee, Fla., served as the facilitator of the safety small group discussion and Bill Haas, Mechanical Division manager for ASA, served as the emissions small group discussion facilitator. The daylong forum produced several important results. First, it allowed industry representatives to become better educated as to the long-term regulatory outlook for I/M. Second, it provided an opportunity for both industry and regulatory representatives to dialogue as to the future of the programs. For almost the entire past decade, aftermarket leaders have been engulfed in the service information availability issues. This has left a meager emphasis on I/M during this time period. This sharing of ideas produced several key concepts that the breakout small groups wanted to pursue. Both small group leaders appointed committees to work on the issues during the coming year. Follow-up reports will be issued to the forum participants. ASA has had very positive feedback from participants and will discuss in the coming weeks with AAMVA the possibility of a second forum in 2001. There was quite a range of discussion in both small group meetings. In the safety meeting, some participants briefed the group on state safety inspection programs that are effective and how they have achieved success. Others sought methods that could be used to begin new programs in states that do not have them. The emissions meeting produced a dialogue on OBD II and its impact on I/M, as well as how I/M will play a role in the future. With the decline in state safety inspection and maintenance programs and the changing role of emissions inspection, ASA is hopeful that the forum will produce more industry interest in increasing state programs as well as enhancing programs that we have in place. These issues are positioned to be debated in great detail during the coming years. During the next Congress, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will have to be re-authorized by the Congress. The Firestone/Ford tire recall has produced hearings and legislation now signed into law. The new law only calls for manufacturer notice to the U.S. Department of Transportation if a recall or safety notice has been issued on a product in a foreign country and the product is sold in the United States. Although this new law is very limited, Congress is interested in pursuing a more aggressive NHTSA reform measure. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., U.S. Senate Commerce Committee chairman, has made it clear that NHTSA will be reviewed in detail next year. The current House Commerce Committee chairman is retiring, but one candidate for the chairmanship has already given NHTSA reform top billing. Rep. W.J. "Billy" Tauzin, R-La., conducted hearings and a mark-up on the new NHTSA legislation. This month, the U.S. Supreme Court began hearings on the new U.S. EPA's ozone and particulate matter regulation. The American Trucking Association and others had sought to limit the EPA's new regulation and won in a U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decision. If the EPA is successful on appeal, states will be required to improve upon some emissions programs and expand into geographic areas that might not now be in non-attainment. This court decision will have a tremendous impact on emissions inspection and maintenance. ASA will make available issue points from the forum on its Web site or to anyone that contacts ASA at (800) ASA-SHOP (272-4767), ext. 201. It is critical that the aftermarket continues to work with federal and state regulators to improve I/M programs. Far too often, repairers have found themselves standing aside or at times opposing programs that benefit the industry. With certain legislation on automotive safety and already statements that the Clean Air Act will be revisited in the next Congress, repairers should see this as an opportunity to take I/M to the next level.
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