Coleman Holley

Oily Succulents

Gardner

2/13/23

Rogerian Essay

Should the EPA be able to impose strict regulations on non-commercial vehicles?

Throughout the past dozen years the EPA has been given the authority to regulate Emissions

on motor vehicles believing that it will make change within our climate. Understanding that there

is a climate issue occurring and there must be change, the EPA would seem to make sense with

their actions but digging deeper shows the EPA is going about protecting the environment

through the wrong way. Hopefully throughout this reading some will understand how the EPA

needs a change of direction, and less regulation of what is going on in today's climate.

The EPA should be restricting the Emissions within the Automotive industry. Seeing how

cars and trucks are a large part of emitting unwanted gasses into the atmosphere, putting

Emissions regulations into place only makes sense to further help the climate. A Senior Vehicles

Analyst from the Union of Concerned Scientists stated the Clean Air Act with saying “ For any

person to manufacture or sell, or offer to sell, or install, any part or component intended for use

with, or as part of, any motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine, where a principal effect of the part

or component is to bypass, defeat, or render inoperative any [emissions control] device”. This

shows that companies are offering buyers for aftermarket parts that will possibly hurt the climate

more throughout selling their products. The EPA is a must in being able to regulate what goes

back into our planet, and letting these companies come in and go around or find loopholes

within the EPA just isn’t enough for a larger change in this climate. The EPA needs larger
restrictions and regulations with a larger role of enforcement with Emissions with

non-commercial vehicles.

California is well known for having pretty strict regulations with their Emissions when it

comes to almost everything and anything that involves the environment no doubt about it.

Seeing how people are upset with those regulations, they’re in place for an industry that is

known for not playing with the lines. Leaving Emissions Standards for the states does not make

sense because the states decisions don’t just impact the state on its own, the surrounding areas

and entire globe are affected. Seeing how this industry is getting around shows that the world

needs stronger regulations to help mitigate delete devices used in diesel engines. Seeing that

California is a high population with way too many vehicles this only makes more sense to

support a larger role with the EPA in restrictions.

The EPA should not have the authority or ability to regulate Emissions on

non-commercial vehicles. The EPA gets constant backlash from the car community and many

others for a good reason, they are deemed as too controversial and the laws implied hurt many
in some cases emotionally, and heavily financially. Many other producers of a large amount of

Emissions do need heavier regulation and it shows heavily that the EPA doesn’t understand

that. Going after the Automotive industry would technically work but disrupt the economy as well

and here’s why. According to an Automotive expert named Alex on Fitment Industries, he stated

that “Things like the Clean Air Act, that a motor vehicle cannot be converted into a racing

vehicle used solely for competition”. (So You Want To Make Car Mods Illegal (EPA), Fitment

Industries). Companies like Drag, K&N, or any company who is making aftermarket parts whose

biggest customer is the average Joe in the Automotive industry who is wanting to customize

their car to their liking. Now making it so that those parts are not going to be sold or made

indefinitely is going to make these companies disappear and cause an economy many people

do not realize they rely on daily suffering. Now seeing why some would call the EPA delusion

isn’t as much of a stretch as most people think. Looking at how the EPA is dealing with

Emissions generating sources is not something that is being done professionally. They are

targeting the Automotive Industry heavily while lightly regulating things like Coal power plants,

and most places that use non renewable resources thinking compared to cars they wouldn’t be

producing many Emissions which is not the case here. Even from the EPA themselves they

have clearly said through the Clean Air Act that “EPA is required to review those standards to

determine whether any residual risk exists for that source category”. (“National Enforcement and

Compliance Initiative: Stopping Aftermarket Defeat Devices for Vehicles and Engines | US

EPA.”). Leaving one agency to make decisions based on the environment does not make it

acceptable for them to have tight regulations and free reign on what is going to be picked out for

changing and regulating. The EPA is not targeting the right industries for change in the climate,

and who the EPA is heavily targeting may backfire causing an issue throughout the globe that

may have been able to be avoided completely.

 Seeing the data presented and expressing my opinion would hopefully change how the

EPA is viewed throughout their future decisions. The EPA is heavily misconstrued in their

thought process of how to make sure Emissions in our climate are regulated. The EPA is

pointing fingers with the hope of making a large change. Although I will agree the Automotive

Industry is a large producer of Emissions, modern day vehicles are extremely eco friendly. Most

Diesels today will emit particles into the atmosphere that are processed and healthier compared

to the air that’s brought into the cylinder during the combustion process. Putting these large laws

and regulations into place for this community will ruin people's hobbies, destroy most

automotive jobs that live off of people's vehicles that are worked on almost daily. Companies

that support this hobby would crumble very quickly, and hurt an economy many rely on. The

Automotive field needs workers and taking away these jobs is just a way of the EPA not knowing

how to regulate Emissions, point fingers, and hope for the best. They are essentially biting the

hand that feeds them.

Seeing how people could argue both sides, there's a good reason why not just laws

being passed but EPA overall is seen as very controversial. On one hand people support them

seeing a large role in regulation in the Automotive Industry will help strengthen our climate while

making the future of cars something to be hopeful, or look forward to. While others will see how

too much regulation will hurt our economy not as a country, but the entire world. How the EPA is

ruining something that people began to enjoy, lightly modify, and enjoy as a very expensive

hobby that brings people together, but being shut down and having large names like SEMA

having to defend this community. Giving this power of regulation of Emissions in the Automotive

Industry to not just one agency but spread across as a form of multiple agencies who can come

together to clash ideas and figure out what is best for the climate and not just pointing fingers

would truly make a difference without impacting many today.

 Sources:

“National Enforcement and Compliance Initiative: Stopping Aftermarket Defeat Devices for

Vehicles and Engines | US EPA.” US EPA, 22 Dec. 2022

“Blog #4 Economics and Sustainability / Politics, Law & Sustainability.” Victoriaeoh, 7 Mar. 2013

“So You Want to Make Car Mods Illegal (EPA).” YouTube, 30 Mar. 2021,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvLGhqubb_o

“Blog #4 Economics and Sustainability / Politics, Law & Sustainability.” Victoriaeoh, 7 Mar. 2013,

victoriaeoh.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/economics-sustainability-politics-law-sustainability