U.S. Legislative Issues
Senators Urge EPA to Issue Strong RFS for 2017
A bipartisan group of senators led by Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue robust Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) targets for 2017. In a letter sent June 24, the group of 39 senators urged EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to ensure that the final RFS rule currently under consideration by the agency set blending targets that "promote growth in the U.S. biofuel sector and capture economic opportunity rather than drive investment overseas."
The group argued that "contrary to the clearly defined waiver authority granted by Congress," biofuel investment has fallen behind and projects moved overseas as a result of the agency’s consideration of distribution infrastructure when setting the Renewable Volume Obligation in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The group concludes, "We cannot afford to cede our leadership position to the world. A strong RFS, and more biofuels, make our country more secure. We urge you to take the opportunity to get the program back on track by setting blending targets where Congress intended and by removing the distribution waiver." EPA has said it expects to finalize the volumes by November 30.
Stand-Alone House Legislation to Reauthorize DERA Program Pending Introduction
Established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Grant Program authorizes funding of up to $100 million annually for FY 2012 through FY 2016 to help fleet owners reduce diesel emissions. For reference, the DERA program was awarded $20 million in FY 2014, $30 million in FY 2015, and $70 million for FY 2016. Authorization of the DERA program is set to expire this year.
In light of this, multiple legislative efforts to reauthorize the program through FY 2021 are currently underway in the House and Senate. In conjunction with these established efforts, NAFA has signed onto a multi-industry coalition letter in support of a DERA reauthorization bill pending introduction by Representatives Renee Ellmers (R-NC) and Doris Matsui (D-CA). This stand-alone bill is nearly identical to the NAFA-endorsed Senate reauthorization bill introduced earlier this year by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE), James Inhofe (R-OK), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA).
To strengthen NAFA’s arguments of support for the DERA program, NAFA encourages members that have received DERA funds to contact Pat O’Connor, NAFA’s U.S. Legislative Counsel, via email at poconnor@nafa.org.
Volkswagen to Pay $15 Billion to Settle Emissions Claims
Following its admission of using illegal software to defeat government emissions tests, Volkswagen has finalized a deal with the U.S. Department of Justice to settle claims with regulators and the owners of nearly 500,000 diesel-power vehicles at a cost of over $15 billion, the largest auto-related class-action settlement in U.S. history.
Per the deal, VW will set aside roughly $10 billion to cover vehicle buybacks and fixes for owners of affected vehicles. VW has also agreed to pay $2 billion over 10 years to fund programs directed by the state of California and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to promote construction of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, development of zero-emission ride-sharing fleets and other efforts to boost sales of cleaner cars. Additionally, VW will provide $2.7 billion for an environmental remediation fund. Separately, VW announced it had reached a $603 million agreement with 44 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to resolve consumer-protection claims tied to the diesel cars.
Under the settlement’s terms, owners can either sell back or terminate leases of affected vehicles, or have the cars made compliant with environmental regulations. VW says it will repurchase vehicles at their pre-scandal market value. Vehicle owners opting for a fix must wait until the company wins government approval of an appropriate modification. All consumers, regardless of whether they keep their vehicle, will receive additional compensation ranging from $5,100 to nearly $10,000 each. Drivers will have more than two years to make a decision. The deal affects 482,000 diesel-powered vehicles with model years between 2009 and 2015, including Jettas, Passats, Beetles, Golfs, and Audi A3s. (For more information, see article on this topic later in this issue of NAFAConnection.)
NIOSH Research Reaffirms Importance of Safety Belt Use
According to new research presented by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of fatal injuries among U.S. workers. NIOSH also found that seat belt usage reduces the risk of fatal injuries to front seat occupants of cars by 45 percent and the risk to light truck occupants by 60 percent.
Previous reports on worker seat belt use have been narrowly focused on only a few occupations. This analysis provides, for the first time, seat belt use estimates among a wide variety of occupational groups in 21 U.S. states. The study found that self-reported seat belt use among adult workers in those states varies by occupation and that this variation persists after adjustment for factors known to be associated with seat belt use (age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, marital status, body mass index, county urbanization, and state seat belt law type). Overall and by occupational group, in 2013, the prevalence of not always using seat belts was higher in states with secondary seat belt laws (23.6 percent) than in states with primary seat belt laws (10.4 percent).
Occupational groups with the highest frequency of not always using a seat belt included construction and extraction; farming, fishing, and forestry; and installation, maintenance, and repair.
NIOSH recommends that employers establish comprehensive safety programs that require consistent seat belt use at all times and urges seat belt safety advocates to focus interventions on the occupational groups with the lowest reported seat belt use.
NAFA Fleet Management Association
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