At the insistence of SEMA, the sponsor of legislation that would have banned the sale of certain new motor-vehicle exhaust systems has decided to withdraw the measure from further consideration. The bill would have prohibited the sale of exhaust systems and exhaust-system components that cause motor vehicles to produce noise exceeding certain noise limits. Under the bill, noise limits specified in rules adopted by the Environmental Quality Commission (EQC) would have been used to determine which systems would be permitted or banned. However, in 1991, the EQC terminated its noise-control program and no noise testing procedure is currently in place. The bill would have led to significant confusion regarding compliance and enforcement. The sponsor also indicated that he may be seeking SEMA’s assistance in the future to create legislation that would allow the sale and use of aftermarket exhaust systems capable of meeting a reasonable and objective test standard.
For more information, click here. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.