During the past few years, there has been a massive push to regulate the automotive industry in the face of climate change. Now, some of the bills have the potential to dramatically impact the aftermarket car part sector as well. Due to a massive push from people in the media and social media influencers, including YouTube, the United States House of Representatives introduced the RPM Act. This stands for Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports, and the goal of the act is to limit the ability of the EPA to enforce the Clean Air Act in the realm of motorsports. Why is this bill necessary, and what might the RPM Act do?
How the Clean Air Act Might Hamper the Automotive Industry
The Clean Air Act was passed by the EPA in an effort to clean up the environment, but the areas they are targeting can have massive impacts on the economy that some people might not have foreseen. Within the realm of motorsports, the EPA is trying to protect the environment by banning the conversion of street vehicles into race-only vehicles. This includes not only vehicles that are on the right track but also those that are transported to and from races that might never see any competition.
Even though this action may have positive intentions regarding the safety of the driver and the environment, this is going to have a lot of negative impacts on the aftermarket car part sector as well. If racers are not purchasing aftermarket car parts in an effort to modify their vehicles, the sector is going to dry up. As a result, people who rely on these parts for their own personal needs are not going to be able to find them.
If this act is enforced, the only cars that will be at the racetrack will be custom-built cars from some of the major manufacturers. This would lead to the death of the aftermarket car industry, stopping the life out of an industry that is valued at billions of dollars per year.
What Does the RPM Act Do?
The RPM Act would make it impossible for the EPA to target manufacturers who sell products used for car modification online. Effectively, the act will give people the right to modify their vehicles in a way they see fit without having to worry about the EPA knocking on the door telling people they cannot do that. While the RPM Act has come up before, it appears to have more support now than in the past. Therefore, there might be a higher chance of having it passed.
The Bill is Being Reintroduced
The bill has come up before, but it has never had the support to get past. This fall, it was reintroduced again with bipartisan support. Richard Burr, a Republican from North Carolina, and Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, have thrown their support behind the bill.
The Senators believe that American amateur motorsports are a right and a popular pastime. This bill would protect the ability of Americans to continue to engage in racing. Even though the Clean Air Act may have positive intentions, it appears to have overstepped its bounds. The motorsport community has consistently relied on the freedom to modify their vehicles to compete in row races. This bill would have effectively codified that right without hampering the ability of the EPA to ensure the American public has clean air.
Already, there are a number of other sponsors who have thrown their support behind the bill as well. It will be interesting to see what happens moving forward, but the bill has not yet passed.
More Support Is Needed
Right now, legislators in Congress are listening to the will of the people. Even though there is a lot of support for this bill on YouTube and various other social media channels, it is important for people to continue to pick up the phone and call their senators. That way, they can let their senators know that they want the bill passed. If the federal government knows that this is a bill that people want, they will be more likely to pass it during the next legislative session.
Author Bio: Luke Wilhoit has been a content writer for businesses in the automotive industry for over a decade and is now the Head of Content Marketing at automotive-marketing.com, an automotive-specific digital marketing agency. When Luke isn’t reading up on the latest automotive news, he enjoys his time outside in the great smoky mountains of east Tennessee.
