Superfund has met many challenges for reform over the past several years and will continue this year. Both Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska, of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., of the House Commerce Committee, have led efforts in past years to reform Superfund, ensuring it will be an issue during this Congress. Republicans have expressed they would like to reintroduce natural resources damage (NRD) provisions, taxes and exempting small businesses from Superfund liability. This past year, the NRD provisions and exempting small businesses liability were measures introduced but not passed. The NRD provision allows state and federal governments to have large fiscal claims for damages to natural resources. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., supported a bill that would relieve small businesses from such large claims.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced that it is making changes to the Diesel Fuel Emissions program that will affect new heavy-duty trucks and buses. The new rule, which will be in full effect in 2007, requires sulfur in diesel fuel of large trucks and buses to be reduced by 97 percent. The Clinton administration took steps this past year to reduce diesel exhaust from passenger vehicles. Now it wants to tackle the largest producers of automobile exhaust.
President George W. Bush's choice of Norman Mineta for transportation secretary displayed Bush's effort to have bipartisan input in the cabinet. Mineta previously served as secretary of commerce under the Clinton administration. When Mineta served in the Congress, he worked on reducing traffic congestion and highway travel.
The House of Representatives has been busy filling all of its committee slots.
Of interest to the aftermarket is that the Energy and Commerce Committee added six new members and Chairman Billy Tauzin, R-La. The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee added 13 new members and Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska. The Small Business Committee included eight new members with Chairman Don Manzullo, R-Ill.
As a result of problems with tire recalls, Ford has issued a new tire warranty program. Ford will replace any tire found to have manufacturing defects starting with all its 2001 models. Ford feels that issuing a warranty program will provide them with “early access to data on tire performance.” This comes after another tire recall on Firestone's Wilderness brand, found mostly on Ford's sport utility vehicles.
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AutoInc. Magazine ® Vol.XLIX, March 2001
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