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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact Ed Klim
Snowmobile Makers File Brief To Oppose Radical
Environmental groups Efforts To Overturn New EPA Emissions Regulations
Haslett, Mich., (September 29, 2003) - The International Snowmobile
Manufacturers Association (ISMA) filed its opening brief in the United States
Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, to stop legal maneuvers
by radical environmentalists that would leave the U.S. without an orderly
timetable for reducing snowmobile exhaust emissions.
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed ambitious standards
and an aggressive schedule that will reduce snowmobile emissions in the next
decade to only 30 percent of present levels," said Ed Klim, president of
ISMA.
"Despite the efforts by ISMA to ensure that the standards are based in
sound and unbiased scientific data - environmental extremists seem more intent
on perpetuating their movements than in moving America toward meaningful air
quality improvement," Klim charged.
The ISMA legal action comes in response to the San Francisco-based Bluewater
Network and Environmental Defense, represented by Earthjustice, which together
filed the initial suit on Jan. 7, 2003 challenging the EPA rule, claiming the
new requirements are not stringent enough.
"These fringe activists are simply unable to accept the facts," Klim
said. "Even the EPA admitted that unbiased scientific data proved
snowmobile emission levels were previously overestimated by more than 70
percent. These activists have waged an unwarranted campaign against snowmobiles
based on nothing but junk science and misinformation. Now they have filed a
frivolous lawsuit, trying to use the court system to overturn the ambitious
emission reduction schedule that industry is hard at work trying to meet."
Three-Phase Reduction
The new EPA regulations announced in October call for a stringent three-phase
reduction in snowmobile emissions. By 2006, emission levels must both be reduced
to 70 percent of levels permitted in 2002. By 2010, emissions must be reduced to
half of present-day levels, and by 2012 emissions can amount to only 30 percent
of present levels.
By filing its counter suit and opening brief, the snowmobile manufacturers will
take part in the court proceedings and be in a position to protect snowmobilers'
interests and ensure that manufacturers' efforts at achieving emission
reductions are not suddenly disrupted.
"We've worked too hard to let some fringe group undo all the good that's
been accomplished over the past few years," said Klim "We need
to be a part of these proceedings to ensure any emission reduction plan will
continue to be based on scientific facts, not on unsubstantiated guesses about
future snowmobile designs."
Independent Scientific Studies
Klim said that in setting the new emission standards, snowmobile manufacturers
made a genuine effort to inform EPA of the unique challenges related to
redesigning snowmobiles and the limited impact of snowmobiles on air quality.
"It has always been the position of the snowmobile manufacturers that any
emission reduction plans should be based on the scientific research and analyses
that have been conducted by respected independent research organizations,
including the Southwest Research Institute, Sierra Research, Inc., and National
Economic Research Associates. These groups have conducted exhaustive studies
analyzing current emission levels, snowmobile use factors and cost benefit
analysis. We said all along that we'd tell the truth about snowmobiling and any
resulting standards should be based on an objective evaluation of the limited
environmental impact of snowmobiles - not on emotion."
The new EPA standards that are the subject of the suit must be met by the
manufacturers based on the average emission levels of their respective product
lines, which will enable them to introduce new emission reduction technology
across their entire product lines. So that environmental benefits are achieved
as early as possible, the new regulations provide incentives in the form of
credits for producing snowmobiles that achieve the new standards. All
manufacturers are working diligently to develop new models that meet the new EPA
regulations. Current model year four-stroke and other cleaner technology
machines already meet the new emission level requirements, according to Klim.
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International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association members include Arctic Cat
Inc., Bombardier Inc., Polaris Industries Inc., and Yamaha Motor Corporation.
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