Pre-1974 California Drivers

This was posted on the Early S Registry discussion board. I'm usually opposed to putting any politics on this web site, but this is an issue a lot of us can agree on. Wayne, if you consider this out of line... wait, wait, there's that whole thing with Cathburn Customs. This is 'secret tips on valve adjustments,' by comparison:


CARB May Look to Eliminate Emissions Testing Exemption for Older Cars

In early 2001, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is likely to pursue legislation in the California State legislature to repeal the state’s current rolling emissions test exemption for vehicles 30 years old and older. If CARB is successful, emissions tests could be required of vehicles as far back as the 1966 model year. In other words, CARB is working to ensure that older vehicles are NEVER excused from the SMOG Check program.

We Urge You to Contact Your State Legislators to Support the Current Emissions Exemption

Existing law in California exempts all pre 1974 vehicles from emissions testing until 2003. After 2003, vehicles 30 years old and older will be exempt from emissions testing. California’s emissions testing exemption recognizes the minimal impact of antique and classic vehicles on vehicle emissions and air quality. Vehicles 30 years old and older constitute a small portion of the overall vehicle population and are a poor source from which to look for emissions reduction. Antique and classic vehicles are overwhelmingly well-maintained and infrequently driven and have little impact on California’s pollution problems. Expanding emissions testing could unfairly force 1960s-era vehicles – vehicles not originally equipped with pollution control systems - to undergo emissions tests. Expanding emissions testing to take in older vehicles could lead to increasing the pool of vehicles eligible for scrappage, including 1960s-era cars. Contact your state legislators to oppose repealing California’s emissions exemption for older vehicles. To find out who your legislators are, contact the California Senate general information line at 916/445-4311 and the California Assembly information line at 916-445-2323.

This information can also be accessed via the internet at www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html or by calling the SEMA Washington, DC office at 202-783-6007. Please fax a copy of your letters to us at 202/783-6024 or mail to:

SEMA Washington Office
Attn: Steve McDonald/Brian Caudill
1317 F St., NW, Ste. 500
Washington, D.C. 20004


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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T (3.6) sunroof coupe
jackolsen@mediaone.net

Jack,

I appreciate the effort to get the guys and gals whom this matter directly affects motivated, but it indirectly could affect everyone in the country who has an older car, and especially anything in the category of a 'hotrod' or modified car!!!

I don't really think SMOG is the issue, it is a plan with ulterior motives to kill the hotrodding industry by outlawing the end product driven by enthusiasts! Anyone that believes that is really an environmental issue and that the 30+ year-old hotrods are a major Smog contributor ... is being terribly naive!

I see dozens of cars every week that could be called Gross Polluters, and they always seem to be neglected cars, 10 or 15 years old! The last one I saw just today was a mid-'80s Mustang ... doing a great mosquito-fogging imitation! From what I have read, the smokey, gross polluting cars put out more of the smog-producing chemicals than 1000 properly tuned and maintained cars. And, the significant thing is, they are everywhere!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

I administer some Washington laws and the legislature (currently in session) keeps me busy. I can tell you that ulterior motives are what most legislation is all about. Human nature I guess. Legislative action always has a venerable and socially positive veneer, but the real action is behind the scenes and the motives are not apparent on the veneer.

I have watched this war on older cars for some time and I believe there are others providing pressure. Auto makers, for instance. Suspicious? Yes.

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'83 SC

Every few months a fringe CA assemblyman or senate member, propsoes a change in the CA Health and Safety Code. OR someone posts a rumor that CARB is looking to repeal the exemption and/or the rolling 30 year exemption starting in 2004.

The proposed laws all get killed in assembly, and CARB can't repeal a law by policy. It takes a law to change the H&S Code. So unless a specific law has a chance of passing, it will not happen. The agebcy I work for tracks these pieces of legisaliton and none have been close to passing.

Another of Superman's meaningless posts, but FWIW: This has been my experience too. For all its attempts at messing things up, the Washington legislature will fail to take meaningful action on about 98% of bills droppped. About 80% of my time this week has been spent analyzing bills, none of which have any chance of becoming law. It's just grandstanding. Your tax dollars at work. Or play, I guess.

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'83 SC

Mike Z. ...

Having observed or noted many attempts by governments to fix 'science' or some perceived environmental flaw over the past 1.5 centuries, why has nobody yet noticed that one change in the automotive smog laws that took effect in 1975 to presumably reduce a few more tenths of a percent of NO (nittrous oxide) emmisions ... has resulted in 25+ years of using our vehicles to pump sulfuric acid into the atmosphere, and suddenly the shift is to concern about greenhouse gases! Just what is sulfuric acid, if it is not the nastiest greenhouse gas of all? Take a look at Venus ... the alarmists say! Well, legislated science has been putting millions/billions of tons of that greenhouse gas into the atmosphere every year, and now they've taken away the freon from air conditioner's, yet a single volcano like Mt. St. Helens or Penitubo does more damage than all the freon ever manufactured!

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Warren Hall
1973 911S Targa

[This message has been edited by Early_S_Man (edited 01-26-2001).]

Thanks for the responses. Mike Z, I leave it up to you to give us all a heads up here when there's a serious threat to the rolling exemption. I don't want to waste everyone's time and energy if it's not merited.

I have a good friend who used to work in the office of a U.S. senator, and he finally quit in disgust. Like Superman says, it's a tremendous amount of effort for very little real gain, with the single guiding principle being (for just about everything a senator does) raising enough money to win the next term.

50,000 years of human civilization, and this is the best we can do?

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Jack Olsen
1973 911 T (3.6) sunroof coupe
jackolsen@mediaone.net

[This message has been edited by JackOlsen (edited 01-26-2001).]

Warren, was that a statement or a question???
8^)

As to green house gases, H2S, MTBE...geez who the hell knows....the best answer is, try to limit emissions until it gets too expensive or stupid to do any further....

There are dickheads on both sides of the enviro fence, that's why they have a fence to keep them seperated....cars that last 25 years or more should get a break on maintaining a control system that was marginal at best, probably does not work, and to repair are subject to bend over prices from salvage yards. If the smart guys made the manufacturuers keep a stock of smog parts, then I can see making old cars keep up with smog regs. But they don't....

Has anyone ever realized that Agriculture...not mom and pop farms, but BIG Agriculture is completely exempt from smog regs??? They don't have to have smog controls on the farm vehicles, their gas tanks and the associated manufacturing devices....ask me how I know...

MTZ
Registered Environmental Assessor
Air Pollution Investigator
CA Licensed Investigator
83 Euro Cabriolet Owner
PCA and Rennlist Member