By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Monday, April 18, Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange applauded a decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw a proposed emission rule which effectively would have effectively prevented the use of converted street vehicles for off-street racing.
AG Strange said, “I am pleased the EPA listened to the many thousands of Americans who would have been harmed by its proposed rule that would have effectively shut down off-street racing in Alabama and across the country.”
Attorney General Strange said, “Alabama was one of eight states to call on EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to drop the proposal to effectively stall the conversion of street vehicles to off-road racing. I am gratified that Administrator McCarthy has acted to ensure that common sense prevails in its agency ruling making and that motorsports does not become the latest victim of EPA bureaucratic overreach.”
On Friday, the EPA released a statement withdrawing the proposed rule. The EPA wrote in their statement: “…EPA supports motorsports and its contributions to the American economy and communities all across the country. EPA’s focus is not on vehicles built or used exclusively for racing, but on companies that don’t play by the rules and that make and sell products that disable pollution controls on motor vehicles used on public roads. These unlawful defeat devices pump dangerous and illegal pollution into the air we breathe. The proposed language in the July 2015 proposal was never intended to represent any change in the law or in EPA’s policies or practices towards dedicated competition vehicles. Since our attempt to clarify led to confusion, EPA has decided to eliminate the proposed language from the final rule.”
Alabama Auditor Jim Zeigler (R) credited the public for the rare EPA reversal, “When government tries to do something really stupid, input from thousands of normal people can stop it. We need more people to voice their concerns on government overreach.”
Automobile racing is Alabama’s largest professional sport with a NASCAR track in Talladega and the Barber’s Motorsports Park in Birmingham.
