From a press release issued by the AMA:

AMA Applauds Efforts to Extend Emissions Comment Deadline

PICKERINGTON, Ohio — The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) praised three Illinois congressmen for asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to extend the comment deadline on the agency’s proposed emissions standards for
road-going motorcycles.

In a letter to the EPA, Republican Congressmen Timothy Johnson, Donald Manzullo and John Shimkus asked that the comment deadline of Nov. 8 be extended to Jan. 8, 2003.

“The cost-effectiveness and safety issues regarding this proposed rule are the primary, though certainly not the sole, areas of concern raised by small business owners, motorcycle riders, and other stakeholders in our districts,” the congressmen wrote. “The seriousness of these concerns warrants additional time to review and comment on the proposed regulations.

“Three months is simply insufficient time for affected parties to thoroughly examine — and EPA to properly address — the impact it will have on our constituents,” the letter said.

Edward Moreland, AMA vice president for government relations, noted that the AMA has been involved in the rule-making process from the beginning, including testifying before EPA officials on Sept. 17.

“EPA officials have been receptive to the suggestions of riders during this long
rule-making process, which began nearly two years ago,” Moreland said, “and we sincerely hope that the EPA will continue its course of considering the needs of riders by granting this comment deadline extension.”

The EPA is about to implement revised national emissions standards for new road motorcycles that would require those bikes to meet strict emissions standards beginning with 2006 models. The federal standards would be the same as those adopted by the state of California, but would go into effect two years after California’s standards.

The first tier of the new national standards would go into effect in 2006 and the second tier would be in place for 2010.

The new national emissions standards are expected to result in an increased use of fuel injection and catalytic converters on new motorcycles. Some motorcycles sold in the United States already meet California’s strict 2008 standards, which is the same as the planned federal EPA 2010 standard.

The new California standard that begins with the 2004 model year, and the planned federal standard that would take effect for the 2006 model year, require new motorcycles to emit no more than 1.4 grams per kilometer traveled of hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides and 12 grams per kilometer of carbon monoxide.

The current federal emissions standards for street motorcycles are 5.0 grams of hydrocarbons and 12 grams of carbon monoxide per kilometer traveled.

The EPA is accepting written comments on its proposed street motorcycle emissions rules until Nov. 8. You can e-mail comments to [email protected], or go to the Rapid Response Center at the AMA website at www.AMADirectlink.com to send comments. You can see the proposed rules in the “Protecting Your Right to Ride” part of the website.