From AAIA Capital Report

The Oregon Senate on May 4 approved legislation (S.B. 945) that will require brake pads sold in the state to contain no more than 5 percent copper by Jan. 1, 2021. The new copper content rules do not apply to any brake pads on, or produced for, vehicles manufactured before Jan. 1, 2021.

The bill further sets limits beginning Jan. 1, 2015, for asbestos fibers at .1 percent, cadmium at .01 percent, chromium salts at .1 percent, lead at .1 percent and mercury at .1 percent. Legacy vehicles are exempted for the 2015 standard as well. The state may impose a civil penalty of up to $10,000 on manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers that offer for sale non-complying brake pads, but retailers and wholesalers must knowingly sell the non-complying material to be held liable. 

S.B. 945 also would require the Department of Environmental Quality to determine whether to reduce the copper level to .5 percent based on a report expected to be filed by the Brake Friction Material Advisory Committee in the state of Washington. The state of Washington passed similar legislation reducing copper content to 5 percent in 2021, but requires the state’s Department of Ecology to make a determination by Dec. 1, 2015, as to the feasibility of reducing the limit to .5 percent. If the determination is made to reduce the standard, the department is required to establish an advisory committee to separately assess the availability of alternative brake friction material meeting the .5 percent standard for light- and heavy-duty vehicles. The Washington State Department of Ecology would review the advisory committee’s recommendation before finalizing lower copper content requirement. Legislation in California also passed last year requires brakes to meet the 5 percent standard by 2021, but establishes a Jan. 1, 2025, deadline for meeting the .5 percent standard.

The Oregon bill now moves to the house for consideration. A copy of the Senate-passed legislation can be viewed by clicking here.