By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation that would have established a pilot program administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to impose a vehicle mileage user fee died when the legislature adjourned for the year.

Legislation that would have established a pilot program administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to impose a vehicle mileage user fee died when the legislature adjourned for the year. The bill sought to penalize national efforts to create a more fuel-efficient vehicle fleet by taxing drivers based on vehicle mileage. As gas tax revenues decrease due to hybrid and electric vehicle ownership, states are looking for new sources of funding for pet projects.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Legislation that would have established a pilot program administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to impose a vehicle mileage user fee died when the legislature adjourned for the year.

Legislation that would have established a pilot program administered by the Minnesota Department of Transportation to impose a vehicle mileage user fee died when the legislature adjourned for the year. The bill sought to penalize national efforts to create a more fuel-efficient vehicle fleet by taxing drivers based on vehicle mileage. As gas tax revenues decrease due to hybrid and electric vehicle ownership, states are looking for new sources of funding for pet projects.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides.

Legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. Under the current system, this status must be designated by the state through a time-consuming amendment to the law. The classic car plate is available to “any motor vehicle manufactured between and including the years 1925 and 1948, and designated as a full classic car because of its fine design, high engineering standards, and superior workmanship, and owned and operated solely as a collector's item.”

The new law will speed up the process by which Minnesota vehicles can attain classic car status. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides.

Legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. Under the current system, this status must be designated by the state through a time-consuming amendment to the law. The classic car plate is available to “any motor vehicle manufactured between and including the years 1925 and 1948, and designated as a full classic car because of its fine design, high engineering standards, and superior workmanship, and owned and operated solely as a collector's item.”

The new law will speed up the process by which Minnesota vehicles can attain classic car status. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides.

Legislation to provide for a program that will allow classic car status to be determined from nationally recognized standards and guides was signed into law by Governor Mark Dayton. Under the current system, this status must be designated by the state through a time-consuming amendment to the law. The classic car plate is available to “any motor vehicle manufactured between and including the years 1925 and 1948, and designated as a full classic car because of its fine design, high engineering standards, and superior workmanship, and owned and operated solely as a collector's item.”

The new law will speed up the process by which Minnesota vehicles can attain classic car status. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. The DEIS Plan considers four alternatives for OHV management, along with a fifth alternative that would prohibit OHV activity altogether. The OHV management plans would range from continuing the current activities to designating specific routes and establishing permitting requirements. The NPS supports an alternative to designate specific OHV routes and areas, establish a permit program that would maintain OHV use at historical levels, phase-out high-performance sport model and two stroke ATVs and UTVs with seasonal use restrictions and establish seasonal night-driving restrictions.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is 56 miles long and forms the southern section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The NPS OHV management plan for Cape Hatteras, to the north, has already been the subject of legal challenges as being overly restrictive. SEMA has supported efforts in Congress to enact legislation reversing a 2012 management plan banning access to about 39% of the Cape Hatteras seashore and restricting access to another 19% of the area. SEMA contends the legislation provides balanced safeguards for wildlife and responsible OHV activities. The legislation (HR 819; S. 486) is pending floor action by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. The DEIS Plan considers four alternatives for OHV management, along with a fifth alternative that would prohibit OHV activity altogether. The OHV management plans would range from continuing the current activities to designating specific routes and establishing permitting requirements. The NPS supports an alternative to designate specific OHV routes and areas, establish a permit program that would maintain OHV use at historical levels, phase-out high-performance sport model and two stroke ATVs and UTVs with seasonal use restrictions and establish seasonal night-driving restrictions.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is 56 miles long and forms the southern section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The NPS OHV management plan for Cape Hatteras, to the north, has already been the subject of legal challenges as being overly restrictive. SEMA has supported efforts in Congress to enact legislation reversing a 2012 management plan banning access to about 39% of the Cape Hatteras seashore and restricting access to another 19% of the area. SEMA contends the legislation provides balanced safeguards for wildlife and responsible OHV activities. The legislation (HR 819; S. 486) is pending floor action by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

The National Park Service (NPS) has issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for managing off-highway vehicle (OHV) activity at Cape Lookout National Seashore, North Carolina. The DEIS Plan considers four alternatives for OHV management, along with a fifth alternative that would prohibit OHV activity altogether. The OHV management plans would range from continuing the current activities to designating specific routes and establishing permitting requirements. The NPS supports an alternative to designate specific OHV routes and areas, establish a permit program that would maintain OHV use at historical levels, phase-out high-performance sport model and two stroke ATVs and UTVs with seasonal use restrictions and establish seasonal night-driving restrictions.

Cape Lookout National Seashore is 56 miles long and forms the southern section of North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The NPS OHV management plan for Cape Hatteras, to the north, has already been the subject of legal challenges as being overly restrictive. SEMA has supported efforts in Congress to enact legislation reversing a 2012 management plan banning access to about 39% of the Cape Hatteras seashore and restricting access to another 19% of the area. SEMA contends the legislation provides balanced safeguards for wildlife and responsible OHV activities. The legislation (HR 819; S. 486) is pending floor action by the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As of August 2014, manufacturers must file recall reports and associated documents electronically to a website maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between July 28 and August 8, 2014, the NHTSA will offer 20 online training sessions to instruct manufacturer staff on the new system.
 
In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early-warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. Large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 5,000 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with early-warning information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter. Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early-warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

As of August 2014, manufacturers must file recall reports and associated documents electronically to a website maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Between July 28 and August 8, 2014, the NHTSA will offer 20 online training sessions to instruct manufacturer staff on the new system.
 
In 2002, the NHTSA established an “early-warning” system for reporting information to the agency that could provide clues to potential future safety problems. Most of the direct reporting requirements are limited to vehicle and tire manufacturers. Large-volume vehicle manufacturers (more than 5,000 vehicles annually), large-volume tire manufacturers (more than 15,000 tires of same size and design annually) and child-restraint system manufacturers must supply the NHTSA with early-warning information about injuries, property damage, consumer complaints, warranty claims, field reports and production data every calendar quarter. Equipment manufacturers are not required to supply early-warning materials, but reporting is triggered under two circumstances: 1) an incident or allegation involving a death; 2) the company issues recall notices, advisories or customer-satisfaction campaigns referencing a defect, failure or malfunction, whether or not such defect is safety-related. 

For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.