The ’13 Honda Accord sedan and coupe, Civic EX sedan, CR-Z Sport Hybrid and Acura ILX 2.4-liter will be featured at the next SEMA Measuring Session, January 9, 2013, at American Honda headquarters in Torrance, California.

The ’13 Honda Accord sedan and coupe, Civic EX sedan, CR-Z Sport Hybrid and Acura ILX 2.4-liter will be featured at the next SEMA Measuring Session, January 9, 2013, at American Honda headquarters in Torrance, California.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered by 20% the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particle pollution (PM2.5), from 15 micrograms to 12 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over a year. The EPA did not change the standard for coarse particle pollution (PM10), which remains at 150 micrograms averaged over a 24-hour period. 

The small soot particles come from a variety of man-made and natural sources, including diesel tailpipe emissions, smokestacks and fires. The agency’s new PM2.5 standard is approximately one-thirtieth the width of a human hair. The EPA is concerned that once in the bloodstream or lungs, the particles can cause aggravated asthma and other respiratory and heart ailments. The agency estimates that 66 of the nation’s 3,033 counties will be found in violation of the new standard when the EPA updates its nonattainment designations around 2015. States would then have five years to meet the revised standard. The EPA contends that many counties will not need to take any additional actions to comply with the rule as long as other air pollution rules the EPA is pursuing are implemented as scheduled. These actions include diesel emissions limits for off-road vehicles and installation of new pollution-abatement equipment at oil refineries, power plants and some large-scale manufacturing facilities. 

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

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered by 20% the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for fine particle pollution (PM2.5), from 15 micrograms to 12 micrograms per cubic meter averaged over a year. The EPA did not change the standard for coarse particle pollution (PM10), which remains at 150 micrograms averaged over a 24-hour period. 

The small soot particles come from a variety of man-made and natural sources, including diesel tailpipe emissions, smokestacks and fires. The agency’s new PM2.5 standard is approximately one-thirtieth the width of a human hair. The EPA is concerned that once in the bloodstream or lungs, the particles can cause aggravated asthma and other respiratory and heart ailments. The agency estimates that 66 of the nation’s 3,033 counties will be found in violation of the new standard when the EPA updates its nonattainment designations around 2015. States would then have five years to meet the revised standard. The EPA contends that many counties will not need to take any additional actions to comply with the rule as long as other air pollution rules the EPA is pursuing are implemented as scheduled. These actions include diesel emissions limits for off-road vehicles and installation of new pollution-abatement equipment at oil refineries, power plants and some large-scale manufacturing facilities. 

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

SEMA has joined with a number of other trade associations to sponsor “Smarter Fuel Future,” a website intended to raise awareness about the economic and environmental threats posed by the United States’ current biofuels policy. The policy has led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to permit the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol content (E15) in order to meet artificial demands to sell biofuels. The organizations are calling on lawmakers to change the “Renewable Fuel Standard” (RFS), which is driving the U.S. policy. Otherwise, the EPA may soon be seeking to permit the sale of E20 and E30 to fulfill ever-expanding RFS demands.

Congress established the RFS in 2005 and then set ambitious goals in 2007 to mandate biofuel sales. While SEMA supports the congressional intent to help reduce foreign oil imports, the mandates are excessive and not supported by the marketplace. The RFS helped drive the EPA’s decision to permit the sale of E15 for 2001 and newer vehicles but make it illegal to fuel older cars, motorcycles and other motorized equipment since the EPA acknowledged that those products could be damaged. However, the EPA is only requiring a gas pump warning label instructing unsuspecting consumers that it is “illegal” to fill-up those products with E15.

SEMA continues to oppose E15 since ethanol increases water formation, which can then corrode metals, plastics and rubber. Many older cars were not constructed with materials to counteract ethanol’s harmful effects. E15 can also burn hotter than E10 gasoline and cause damage to certain high-performance specialty parts. Revisiting the RFS provides an opportunity to rescind the EPA’s E15 decision.

For more information, please visit www.smarterfuelfuture.org or contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

SEMA has joined with a number of other trade associations to sponsor “Smarter Fuel Future,” a website intended to raise awareness about the economic and environmental threats posed by the United States’ current biofuels policy. The policy has led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to permit the sale of gasoline with 15% ethanol content (E15) in order to meet artificial demands to sell biofuels. The organizations are calling on lawmakers to change the “Renewable Fuel Standard” (RFS), which is driving the U.S. policy. Otherwise, the EPA may soon be seeking to permit the sale of E20 and E30 to fulfill ever-expanding RFS demands.

Congress established the RFS in 2005 and then set ambitious goals in 2007 to mandate biofuel sales. While SEMA supports the congressional intent to help reduce foreign oil imports, the mandates are excessive and not supported by the marketplace. The RFS helped drive the EPA’s decision to permit the sale of E15 for 2001 and newer vehicles but make it illegal to fuel older cars, motorcycles and other motorized equipment since the EPA acknowledged that those products could be damaged. However, the EPA is only requiring a gas pump warning label instructing unsuspecting consumers that it is “illegal” to fill-up those products with E15.

SEMA continues to oppose E15 since ethanol increases water formation, which can then corrode metals, plastics and rubber. Many older cars were not constructed with materials to counteract ethanol’s harmful effects. E15 can also burn hotter than E10 gasoline and cause damage to certain high-performance specialty parts. Revisiting the RFS provides an opportunity to rescind the EPA’s E15 decision.

For more information, please visit www.smarterfuelfuture.org or contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org. 

The SEMA Action Network (SAN) is proud to welcome the Racers Against Street Racing (RASR) brand to its network. RASR is devoted to promoting safe and legal alternatives to illegal street racing. The message of this nationwide organization is simple: If you want to race, go to a racetrack. The goal of RASR is to provide resources to allow racing enthusiasts to participate in automotive-related events throughout the United States in a safe and controlled environment.

The reconfigured RASR website now includes newsworthy topics, a state-by-state race track locator, downloadable public service announcements, SEMA-model legislation and more.

“RASR’s mission aligns extremely well with the SAN’s general goal to protect the automotive hobby,” noted SAN Director Colby Martin. “By arming performance enthusiasts with the means to promote legal and responsible behavior on the street, RASR will help strengthen and expand the SAN’s impact on this exciting automotive niche.”

To learn more about RASR, visit www.RASR.org.

The SEMA Action Network (SAN) is proud to welcome the Racers Against Street Racing (RASR) brand to its network. RASR is devoted to promoting safe and legal alternatives to illegal street racing. The message of this nationwide organization is simple: If you want to race, go to a racetrack. The goal of RASR is to provide resources to allow racing enthusiasts to participate in automotive-related events throughout the United States in a safe and controlled environment.

The reconfigured RASR website now includes newsworthy topics, a state-by-state race track locator, downloadable public service announcements, SEMA-model legislation and more.

“RASR’s mission aligns extremely well with the SAN’s general goal to protect the automotive hobby,” noted SAN Director Colby Martin. “By arming performance enthusiasts with the means to promote legal and responsible behavior on the street, RASR will help strengthen and expand the SAN’s impact on this exciting automotive niche.”

To learn more about RASR, visit www.RASR.org.

The SEMA Action Network (SAN) is proud to welcome the Racers Against Street Racing (RASR) brand to its network. RASR is devoted to promoting safe and legal alternatives to illegal street racing. The message of this nationwide organization is simple: If you want to race, go to a racetrack. The goal of RASR is to provide resources to allow racing enthusiasts to participate in automotive-related events throughout the United States in a safe and controlled environment.

The reconfigured RASR website now includes newsworthy topics, a state-by-state race track locator, downloadable public service announcements, SEMA-model legislation and more.

“RASR’s mission aligns extremely well with the SAN’s general goal to protect the automotive hobby,” noted SAN Director Colby Martin. “By arming performance enthusiasts with the means to promote legal and responsible behavior on the street, RASR will help strengthen and expand the SAN’s impact on this exciting automotive niche.”

To learn more about RASR, visit www.RASR.org.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has restored the blue and green color boundaries within the federal lighting standard. The boundary language was inadvertently removed from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 108 several years ago when the agency reorganized the standard. Although the NHTSA does not allow taillamps, headlamps and or side markers to be blue or green, it is possible to incorporate the color into a lens and still comply with the standard’s white, amber or red light restrictions. Therefore, the NHTSA is proposing to reinsert references to blue and green color boundaries within paragraphs of S14.4.2.2, which governs the haze testing process. 

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