Page 11 - ABATE of FL, Inc

EPA FINES SPEED SHOP AS PART OF ITS NATIONAL COMPLIANCE
As the EPA targets & increases enforcement against automotive aftermarket
companies through its National Compliance Initiative, the federal agency is
harming legitimate businesses in the motorsports industry. Despite the EPA’s
nonbinding, informational claims that it is not targeting aftermarket companies
that produce parts for dedicated race cars, the EPA continues to pursue cases
based on supposition, impose inordinate monetary fines, & pursue legal actions
to the contrary. ----Recently, the EPA issued a fine against PFI Speed, a small
speed shop in Colorado, for selling just 37 Hondata S300s over a 2-yr span. The
fine was issued after co owner Leivestad complied with an EPA inquiry for
details about the co’s sales.

Without any other contact from the EPA, Leivestad was shocked to receive a
letter accusing the shop of selling illegal products. The letter included an $18,000
fine that, if not paid within 30 days, could increase to as much as $180,000. “I
was dumbfounded. I couldn’t even believe it. I am a speed shop & sell race
parts—I didn’t know that was wrong. I didn’t understand the basis of the EPA’s
claim, I didn’t go in front of any trial or talk to anybody from the EPA, & the threat
of ‘settle & pay within 30 days or else’ felt like a real shakedown intended to deny
my rights.” said Leivestad

To protect the motorsports industry against further EPA overreach, PRI is calling
on the racing industry & enthusiasts to unite & urge Congress to pass the
Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act. The bipartisan bill will clarify that
it is legal to convert street vehicles into dedicated race cars, & that businesses
can legally produce, market, & install racing products. “There are thousands of
legitimate motorsports businesses that are at risk of EPA overreach. The EPA is
putting these businesses—which are typically small, home grown, less
sophisticated shops—in situations where they have to take on the full might of
the federal government. The EPA is doing nothing to validate its enforcement
efforts, & these small businesses are left with little choice but to comply.”

The EPA, which is responsible for enforcing the Clean Air Act a 1970 law that
regulates motor vehicles on streets & Hwys throughout the US, has been fining
businesses such as PFI Speed for producing, selling, & installing race use-only
products. The products are often used on vehicles that began as street cars &
were subsequently converted into dedicated race cars that are trailered to & from
the track, & never driven on streets or Hwys again. The CAA only applies to
vehicles driven on streets & Hwys, & the EPA contends that it is not targeting
race-only vehicles. However, the EPA has pre-classified many motorsports
products as illegal & is issuing fines without investigating the circumstances. “The
RPM Act must be passed into law to provide the racing community with certainty
& confidence in the face of EPA threats.” Leivestad agreed: “I’ve been doing this
for 20-plus years, & it sounds like the EPA is trying to put us out of business. We
need to get behind the RPM Act & get it pushed through now, more than ever.”
www.competitionplus.com --NMA