Oregon Introduces Bill to Prohibit Sale of Aftermarket Parts

[bigoak]

Do you not realize that "inefficient" vehicles are likely the ones that actually DO WORK like bringing your FOOD into town and BUILDING stuff and HAULING GOODS around. Let's make those activities vastly more expensive and see what happens to society.

Actually, there is a reasonable debate about that. For years those vehicles have been operating to detriment of the environment. The argument has been made that the true cost (including the effect on the environment) has not been reflected in cost of goods. As you implement some form of price input (e.g. carbon tax) to reflect the total cost to society, what happens is likely along the following:

1) Ideally this "incremental" price input is offset with a equal reduction in some general consumption tax (e.g. sales tax).

2) Prices on materials with a large transport component immediately go up (note even without a carbon tax, this was occuring last year at oil went through the roof). Material without a large transport component a relatively unaffected.

2) Prices on materials without a large transport component hold level or decline (as the sales tax declines).

3) Consumers begin to repsond and modify their consumption behaviour based on the new cost structure. This trend purchasing behaviour to items with a lower transport component.

4) Medium term, industry will respond to these consumer shifts and investment will flow into less transport intense materials.

An example of an industry that would be favoured under this is local agriculture production. On interesting impact related to this is food safety. While the argument is made that larger organizations perform better from a safety standpoint, the current debacle involving the Peanut Corporation of America (or killer tomatoes or killer alfalfa sprouts...) would demonstrate that safety failures in a regional production environment would limit the impact relative what is currently being experienced.

Impact to society...

It would mean that us Canadians would have to give up "fresh" Mexican strawberries in the winter (or just pay significantly more), but hey, as long as I can get good tires for the Z....

(And for the record tire restriction/mileage monitor is just foolish, the points on using some form of fuel consumption tax are correct).

[jmortensen]

As you implement some form of price input (e.g. carbon tax) to reflect the total cost to society, what happens is likely along the following:

There's the debate right there. Is carbon creating a "cost" for society? If there is no cost to society, then all you're doing is needlessly limiting consumers' choices and harming producers' ability to sell what they want where they want.

[Arne]

As a native Oregonian, I figured maybe I should respond here, add some comments, clear up some questions, etc.

First things first - I don't support the House bill that started this thread. Totally stupid and unenforceable. I also am fairly comfortable that it will die in committee. But keep those cards and letters coming, folks!

The gas-mileage/GPS thing was a concept test only. The concept wasn't totally stupid, but it is pretty much dead as the officials seem to agree that retro-fitting everyone's car with a GPS isn't going to fly - financially, or politically.

The lack of self-serve gas is true, and is nothing new. There has never been self-serve gas in Oregon. The primary argument against self-serve historically was fire danger. Even commercial card-lock users have/had to read and sign an instruction and safety regs sheet from the state fire marshal's office. The state gas dealers' association has tried to get that overturned several times, it has always been voted down when it gets on the ballot. Jobs are now used as an argument to keep the ban in effect, but the big argument is still fire safety.

Dave, the only times they are supposed to let you pump your own is on motorcycles, and even then they are supposed to hand you the nozzle and watch you pump it. (These days they seldom stand there and watch.) While I may just sit there while they pump fuel in my normal cars, I always get out and supervise on the Z. Going to a station with slightly higher than average prices helps too, they often have better pump jockeys.

State road maintenance is supposed to come from gas tax. The tax here is 24¢ per gallon. That has been unchanged for 15 years or more. Worse, road repair (like everything else) costs a lot more now than it did 15 years ago. So repair funds were already pretty tight. And then when fuel use dropped when gas exceeded $4, the funds effectively dried up. A fixed percentage may not be the answer either, but some sort of sliding scale should be considered.

Also, Oregon has had a weight/mile tax on commercial vehicles for a long time. Works well if the rate is kept up to date. Not workable for private vehicles, though.

Oregon has been slow to raise the speed limits back up. State highways are all still at 55. Interstates outside metro areas are 65, and recently back up to 60 in metro areas.

[conedodger]

MikeW is actually correct about the tracking device. Oregon is already testing it. They found, I think after allowing a credit for high efficiency vehicles that those vehicles were driving more and as such not paying a fair share of the cost to maintain roads and such. Oregon is testing tracking right now to see if the theory is fact.

On topic though, this House Bill needs a quick and painful death...

[soundmasterg]

I hope bills like this stupid one never get to a vote...its a waste of everyone's time.

I'm from Oregon myself, and regarding the gas pumping in Oregon, I have wanted to pump my own gas since I started driving 20 years ago. Why are they so worried about the safety aspect when every other state except New Jersey allows their citizens to pump gas, and I can pump my own gas if I go to any of those other states too? And the jobs argument? Well lets just say that those type of low-paying jobs are a dime a dozen, and will still be after they allow self-pumping of gas. Its just people with their heads up their asses who are afraid of change, and unfortunately they run state government. A gas station attendant has no vested interest in making sure they do a good job and don't screw up the customers car aside from possibly losing their job....and they really have to screw up for that to happen. Thats why when I get my Volvo 1800S and my 240Z restored, I'll be filling up myself in Washington where I can pump it myself and make sure its done correctly.

Greg

[beandip]

I am an Oregonian also, I almost always pump my own gas in my Z. I find the VAST majority of attendants take care when fueling my Z. The GPS idea first came form California, and our dip $^!# Governor seems to fall into lock step with the Governator in Cal. The Bill being considered car parts is the Governors idea and he is the driving force behind it. The same mental midget also is pushing for a 1800% rise on taxes on BEER. Not a typo 1800% , over a buck a bottle. I have seen this sort of tactic used in the past on taxes. Make a motion for a large amount and then settle for half and the people think that they dodged the bullet and are screwed once again. The after market bill is for tires at this time but hang on because if it is passed , a simple stroke of the pen and the whole after market parts is slid in place. Oregon is still a great place to live in spite of it all. No sales tax. But the property tax is huge as well as state income tax. I am not going to bring up politics, but we all have to suffer here being on the LEFT coast. Our Governor never met a tax he didn't like.

Gary

[jmortensen]

MikeW is actually correct about the tracking device. Oregon is already testing it. They found, I think after allowing a credit for high efficiency vehicles that those vehicles were driving more and as such not paying a fair share of the cost to maintain roads and such. Oregon is testing tracking right now to see if the theory is fact.

I would expect as much. Like I said before raising gas taxes penalizes those who drive vehicles that can actually do real work. Subsidizing "efficient" vehicles exacerbates the problem. Eliminating the subsidies for green cars is a no-brainer, but to really fix the problem lower taxes is the most likely answer, especially in a depressed economy. Pricing people out of the market for gasoline doesn't solve the tax revenue problem.

This is really just your standard Laffer curve argument. There are obviously disagreements about where the optimum tax level is, but I would argue that in a state with a depressed economy like OR raising the tax doesn't sound like a good answer.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laffer_curve

There are some other solutions: stop spending money somewhere else in the state budget, make the system for performing road repairs more efficient, reduce the number of roads, allow privately owned toll roads in addition to publicly owned roads in the most heavily used urban areas, etc.

Edited February 15, 2009 by jmortensen

[whamo]

what the hell are OEM tires anyway? I have sold parts at a dealership for years. We never sold "OEM" tires.

[hls30.com]

OEM tires are those supplied on a new car by its manufacturer.

Will

[Mike]

what the hell are OEM tires anyway? I have sold parts at a dealership for years. We never sold "OEM" tires.

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" and refers to products sold with your car when it was new.

[whamo]

OEM stands for "Original Equipment Manufacturer" and refers to products sold with your car when it was new.

Ah yeah, I know what OEM stands for. I have worked in the automotive industry for 23 years. I am pretty familiar with the term. However,I know for a fact that many vehicles sold by the OEM, Ford in my case, could be fitted with tires manufactured by many different manufactures. Such as Goodyear, Firestone,Bridgestone, BFGoodrich, and in many cases if you wanted to buy one of those specific tires for your car you were out of luck because it would no longer be produced and would have been replaced by a differnet model tire. I suppose its "correct" but it is rather odd to hear the term "OEM" applied to tires.

Reguardless, a rule like this coming from these mental midgets is obsurd. What is more obsurd is that they hold the power to inflict such legislation upon us.

[soundmasterg]

I emailed one of the parties associated with this bill in the state congress and here is the reply that was sent back to me today. It sounds like he is saying it isn't as bad as it sounds, but I still think its a bad idea. They could extend it to ban sale of performance mufflers, Megasquirt, etc., because they could lead to increased greenhouse gas emission over stock.

Greg

"Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about House Bill 2186. Your feedback is important to me and helps inform the actions I take in the Legislature.

As you may be aware, HB 2186 is a part of Governor Kulongoski’s effort to raise environmental standards in over state and limit carbon emissions.

The intent of section (3)(1)(d) is to allow the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission to set standards for certain replacement parts that can increase greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles, not to ban parts. The standards would apply to both after-market products as well as original parts to the vehicle. The rules would be designed to prevent a significant increase in greenhouse gas emissions from replacement parts while still ensuring a full range of consumer choice in products. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) does not expect this to affect a large number of products. The proposal is modeled after similar changes in states like California to improve, not ban, automotive parts.

In their testimony before the House Environment and Water Committee, DEQ made clear their commitment to amend the bill with new language to be written in cooperation with the Northwest Automotive Trades Association, the Automobile Aftermarket Industry Association and others to clarify their intent.

Thanks for writing me. It is an honor representing you in the Oregon House of Representatives and I hope you will continue to write me about issues that are important to you."