The Arizona Republic, 1-26-05
Collectible-car and motorcycle enthusiasts are nibbling away
at the state's vehicle-emissions policy, successfully arguing that they
should be exempt from the vexing test because they barely put a dent in air
quality.
A state study backs them up, although only if the state counts about 7,000 collectible cars statewide and 6,200 motorcycles in Pima County.
The 22,000 motorcycles in more populated, and polluted, Maricopa County would not get the same pass.
A state study backs them up, although only if the state counts about 7,000 collectible cars statewide and 6,200 motorcycles in Pima County.
The 22,000 motorcycles in more populated, and polluted, Maricopa County would not get the same pass.
However, motorcycle and collector-car enthusiasts say they
see House Bill 2357 as the first step in efforts to exempt their vehicles
entirely from the test, regardless of location.
"This is kind of a beginning," said Automotive Research Services' Bill Gilmore, a longtime auto enthusiast and legislative lobbyist for collector-car groups. Ultimately, he hopes to get the estimated 80,000 collector cars in the urban areas dismissed from the annual test.
The bill, which won unanimous support from the House Environment Committee last week, would exempt collectible cars that are at least 15 years old and meet a series of criteria, such as carrying a current classic-car insurance policy and being of a unique design or limited production.
On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee passed the measure, sending it to the full House for a vote.
The legislation is the result of years of lobbying by collector-car enthusiasts, who joined forces with motorcycle owners, to argue their vehicles don't create many emissions.
A study done by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality concluded that a blanket exemption would harm the clean-air plans in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. But certain groups would have only a "negligible impact" if they were exempted.
Bobbi Hartmann, a Harley-Davidson rider who volunteers as a lobbyist for a motorcycle group called American Brotherhood Aimed at Education, is hoping to persuade lawmakers this year to exempt all motorcycles.
Arizona, she said, is the only state that tests motorcycles. And the test, she argues, gives a skewed picture of emissions since it's done only when motorcycles are idling.
Most motorcycles, including the popular Harleys, use air-cooled engines that don't run clean at idle, making it difficult for them to pass emissions testing, she said.
"The two big things, looking at the big picture as far as emissions, is that motorcycles are absolutely nothing," Hartmann said. "And the fact that they're testing only under idle is unfair."
However, the state study found that motorcycles in Maricopa County contribute 1.4 percent of carbon monoxide emission, and less than a quarter percent of hydrocarbons - small numbers, but enough to disrupt the Valley's clean-air plans.
The Sierra Club does not endorse the idea of removing emissions requirements, said Sandy Bahr, outreach director for the group's Grand Canyon chapter. The group has remained neutral on the bill.
ADEQ Director Steve Owens, whose agency also is neutral on the bill, said if it passes, the state would have to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to approve a revision to the clean-air plans. He had no idea how long that would take.
"This is kind of a beginning," said Automotive Research Services' Bill Gilmore, a longtime auto enthusiast and legislative lobbyist for collector-car groups. Ultimately, he hopes to get the estimated 80,000 collector cars in the urban areas dismissed from the annual test.
The bill, which won unanimous support from the House Environment Committee last week, would exempt collectible cars that are at least 15 years old and meet a series of criteria, such as carrying a current classic-car insurance policy and being of a unique design or limited production.
On Tuesday, the House Rules Committee passed the measure, sending it to the full House for a vote.
The legislation is the result of years of lobbying by collector-car enthusiasts, who joined forces with motorcycle owners, to argue their vehicles don't create many emissions.
A study done by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality concluded that a blanket exemption would harm the clean-air plans in the Phoenix and Tucson areas. But certain groups would have only a "negligible impact" if they were exempted.
Bobbi Hartmann, a Harley-Davidson rider who volunteers as a lobbyist for a motorcycle group called American Brotherhood Aimed at Education, is hoping to persuade lawmakers this year to exempt all motorcycles.
Arizona, she said, is the only state that tests motorcycles. And the test, she argues, gives a skewed picture of emissions since it's done only when motorcycles are idling.
Most motorcycles, including the popular Harleys, use air-cooled engines that don't run clean at idle, making it difficult for them to pass emissions testing, she said.
"The two big things, looking at the big picture as far as emissions, is that motorcycles are absolutely nothing," Hartmann said. "And the fact that they're testing only under idle is unfair."
However, the state study found that motorcycles in Maricopa County contribute 1.4 percent of carbon monoxide emission, and less than a quarter percent of hydrocarbons - small numbers, but enough to disrupt the Valley's clean-air plans.
The Sierra Club does not endorse the idea of removing emissions requirements, said Sandy Bahr, outreach director for the group's Grand Canyon chapter. The group has remained neutral on the bill.
ADEQ Director Steve Owens, whose agency also is neutral on the bill, said if it passes, the state would have to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to approve a revision to the clean-air plans. He had no idea how long that would take.
* Written by
Mary Jo Pitzl and Bob
Golfen for the "Valley & State" section of the Arizona Republic on 1-26-05
page B3.
** Link to the original article at:
* * * *
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