The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) beginning the rulemaking to overturn the 2009 “endangerment” finding on greenhouse gases and repeal the greenhouse gas standards for light- and medium-duty motor vehicles:

For years, we’ve witnessed firsthand the damage inflicted by the so-called “endangerment” finding of 2009, including its brazen use by the EPA under previous administrations and by California to mandate the sale of electric vehicles (EVs) and ban the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. ICE vehicles remain the bedrock upon which the American people – families, small businesses, and automotive enthusiasts – rely to live their best, most prosperous lives, and to ban them is an affront to the American way of life. SEMA thanks Administrator Zeldin and the Trump Administration for pursuing common-sense reforms that prioritize the American people and our nation’s economy. This announcement marks a significant policy shift that preserves vehicle choice and strikes a blow to the coordinated, nationwide efforts of unelected activist policymakers and environmental groups to dictate the kinds of vehicles Americans can drive.

SEMA will provide comments in support of this proposed rule and elevate the voice of the automotive aftermarket and the millions of automotive enthusiasts who believe in liberty, vehicle choice, and a strong national economy that fosters ingenuity, innovation, and investment.

BACKGROUND

The EPA’s proposed rule will directly impact federal new car requirements and does not impact existing emissions laws established by the Clean Air Act. Instead, the proposed rule will ensure that automakers produce vehicles driven by consumer demand, rather than greenhouse gas limits, that latter of which has significantly influenced the models of vehicles available to the American people since 2009. This policy shift will directly impact the range of new vehicle choices that exist in the coming years.

SEMA will review the proposed rule to identify any potential additional impacts to the specialty automotive aftermarket, even as the rule is not expected to impact Clean Air Act requirements related to the maintenance of emissions controls after a vehicle has been purchased.

SEMA has an unimpeachable track record advocating for vehicle choice and policies that empower the American businesses that make up the automotive aftermarket to innovate and bring great ideas to the market. As the leading voice in Washington, D.C., during the fight to end electric vehicle (EV) mandates, SEMA gave voice to people to who believe in vehicle choice, beginning in 2023 via state-based efforts to preserve technology-neutral government policy, and culminating with an historic, bipartisan effort to halt a California-led effort to ban ICE vehicles through EV mandates for 40% of the nation's population.

SEMA is not, nor will it ever be, anti-EV; rather, it champions a technology-neutral approach that fosters innovation and ingenuity.

The association will continue efforts to preserve Americans' rights to vehicle choice and the automotive aftermarket industry's ability to design, manufacture and bring to market products that help solve the emissions challenge.

ABOUT SEMA

The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) serves as a leading voice for the worldwide car culture, representing over 7,000 member companies that create, buy, sell, and use specialty-automotive parts that make vehicles more unique, attractive, convenient, safer, fun, and even like new again. Business member benefits include product development resources, market research, networking, education, legislative advocacy, and more. The Association organizes the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nev., and actively supports the career and business opportunities that the aftermarket generates. The industry contributes nearly $337 billion in economic impact to the U.S. economy, supports 1.3 million jobs nationally, and generates $52.6 billion in parts sales annually. For more information, visit www.sema.org.

Tagged: greenhouse gases

SEMA Statement on Proposed Repeal of 2009 GHG Endangerment Finding