Posted: March 24, 2008

From aftermarketNews Staff & Wire Reports

Tallahassee, Fla. -- The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) held a third workshop March 18 in Tallahassee, Fla., to discuss potential adoption of California motor vehicle emissions standards – the so-called “super warranty” program.

Charlie Elder, owner of Ray Gordon Brake Service in Tallahassee and immediate-past chairman of the Automotive Service Association (ASA) board of directors, testified during the hearing.

Elder commented that ASA prefers a federal emission program rather than a state-by-state approach. This will enable the program and financial impact to be uniform so that the playing field remains level for everyone in the marketplace. He noted that Florida’s economy is suffering and that an economic impact study should be conducted before the rule continues, and that California’s studies are very dated and irrelevant to Florida in terms of estimating the cost/benefit to implement and run the program.

Similar workshops on that topic were held in August and December 2007.

At a minimum, ASA believes Florida should follow the lead of Washington, Vermont and most recently, the proposed rules in Arizona, by adopting a Clean Car Program without a super warranty provision. (Courtesy of Tire Review)