Taking The Hill
VOC National Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has published a proposed national rule governing volatile organic compound (VOC) emission standards for automobile refinish coatings. The rule will apply to vehicle refinish coatings manufactured or imported for sale or distribution in the United States. After the rule is final, paint manufacturers would be forced to comply with VOC grams-per-liter limits for each refinish product category. Manufacturers and importers would have four months from the date of final promulgation of the rule to comply. The EPA is accepting comments to the proposal until July 1, 1996. See June’s article "EPA proposes national rule for refinish coatings" for more details.Clean Air Act Amendments
Sen. Lauch Faircloth (R-N.C.) has decided against introducing a bill to amend the Clean Air Act. The proposed bill would have lifted vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) requirements for moderate ozone non-attainment areas and required the EPA to establish an I/M program that treated all enhanced programs equally until effectiveness data demonstrated otherwise. The bill also deleted requirements for annual vehicle inspections and allowed states to set their own waiver fees, rather than use the set waiver fee of $450. Forty-one Senate Democrats signed a letter to Majority Leader Bob Dole (R- Kan.) and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) promising to block Faircloth’s bill and other measures Democrats maintain would weaken environmental protections.ASA Position On Alternative Replacement Crash Parts
ASA announced that it has created a position paper on alternative replacement crash parts. The association took this step to formalize its long-held belief that consumers should have the freedom to select the replacement crash parts to be used in the repair of their collision-damaged vehicles. ASA issued its support for state disclosure laws that require insurers and auto collision repair facilities to obtain the express written consent of vehicle owners before installing alternative replacement crash parts. Alternative replacement parts were identified as parts other than new parts manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer. Recently, bills have been introduced in Florida, Massachusetts, Illinois, Rhode Island and Mississippi by consumer advocates to educate vehicle owners to the range of repair options in the repair of collision-damaged vehicles.Product Liability
President Clinton vetoed legislation to reform the nation’s product liability laws because the administration believes that the measure would make it more difficult for victims in accidents involving faulty products to be fully compensated. Opponents maintain that the threat of lawsuits encourages manufacturers to develop the safest possible products. The bill rewrote rules governing product liability cases in both state and federal courts. The most important provision would have capped punitive damages at $250,000 or twice compensatory damages. In his veto message, Clinton said that the nation’s legal system is too expensive, but any effort to remedy the problem still had to protect Americans’ health and safety.By Stephen B. McDonald, ASA government affairs consultant
ASA Main Page || AutoInc. Main Page
TechTips || Stat Corner || News Briefs
News Briefs Extra || Taking The Hill || Directions
A Team Approach || EPA Proposes || Tech To Tech
Testing Shortcuts || Paint Preparation || Convention Puts Members
Around ASA || More Info About AutoInc. || Chairman’s Message
AutoInc. Magazine ®, Vol. XLIV No. 6, June 1996