Senate bill 1766

Get Ready to SCRAP YOUR CAR ....

A Current US Senate Bill (S. 1766), authored by Senators Daschle (D-SD) and Bingaman (D-NM), has been introduced in the U.S. Senate containing a provision (Section 803) that would federally fund state scrappage programs for vehicles over 15 years old.

Owners who turn in vehicles for crushing would receive a “minimal” payment and a future credit toward purchasing a newer vehicle, all in a misguided attempt to improve the overall fuel economy of the country’s vehicle fleet. This bill represents the most formidable Federal legislative threat to the vehicle hobby in many years.

If you don't want to lose your car to the government,
WRITE YOUR SENATOR NOW and tell them to VOTE NO!!
(US SENATE LINK)

S.1766

Energy Policy Act of 2002
(Placed on the Calendar in the Senate on December 5th 2001)

SEC. 803. ASSISTANCE FOR STATE PROGRAMS TO RETIRE FUEL-INEFFICIENT MOTOR VEHICLES.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary shall establish a program, to be known as the `National Motor Vehicle Efficiency Improvement Program,' under which the Secretary shall provide grants to States to operate programs to offer owners of passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks manufactured in model years more than 15 years prior to the fiscal year in which appropriations are made under subsection (d) to provide financial incentives to scrap such automobiles and to replace them with automobiles with higher fuel efficiency.

(b) STATE PLAN- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of an appropriations act containing funds authorized under subsection (d), to be eligible to receive funds under the program, the Governor of a State shall submit to the Secretary a plan to carry out a program under this subtitle in that State.

(c) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA- The Secretary shall approve a State plan and provide the funds under subsection (d), if the State plan--

(1) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be scrapped;
(2) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be currently registered in the State in order to be eligible;
(3) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks turned in be operational at the time that they are turned in;
(4) restricts automobile owners (except not-for-profit organizations) from turning in more than one passenger automobile and one light-duty truck in a 12-month period;
(5) provides an appropriate payment to the person recycling the scrapped passenger automobile or light-duty truck for each turned-in passenger automobile or light-duty truck;
(6) provides a minimum payment to the automobile owner for each passenger automobile and light-duty truck turned in; and
(7) provides, in addition to the payment under paragraph (6), an additional credit that may be redeemed by the owner of the turned-in passenger automobile or light-duty truck at the time of purchase of new fuel-efficient automobile.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are hereby authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section such sums as may be necessary, to remain available until expended.

(e) ALLOCATION FORMULA- The amounts appropriated pursuant to subsection

(d) shall be allocated among the States on the basis of the population of the States as contained in the most recent reliable census data available from the Bureau of the Census, Department of Commerce, for all States at the time that the Secretary needs to compute shares under this subsection.

(f) DEFINITIONS- In this section:

(1) AUTOMOBILE- The term `automobile' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(3) of title 49, United States Code.
(2) Fuel-efficient automobile-

(A) The term `fuel-efficient automobile' means a passenger automobile or a light-duty truck that has an average fuel economy greater than the average fuel economy standard prescribed pursuant to section 32902 of title 49, United States Code, or other law, applicable to such passenger automobile or light-duty truck.
(B) The term `average fuel economy' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(5) of title 49, United States Code.
(C) The term `average fuel economy standard' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(6) of title 49, United States Code.
(D) The term `fuel economy' has the meaning given such term in section 32901(10) of title 49, United States Code.

(3) LIGHT-DUTY TRUCK- The term `light-duty truck' means an automobile that is not a passenger automobile. Such term shall include a pickup truck, a van, or a four-wheel-drive general utility vehicle, as those terms are defined in section 600.002-85 of title 40, Code of Federal Regulations.
(4) PASSENGER AUTOMOBILE- The term `passenger automobile' has the meaning given such term by section 32901(16) of title 49, United States Code.
(5) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Energy.
(6) STATE- The term `State' means any of the several States and the District of Columbia.

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