Attorney General Laxalt’s Opposition to Proposed EPA Rule Successfully Protects Nevada from Federal Overreach


April 19, 2016

Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt applauded a decision by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw a proposed rule that would have created regulations for competitive racing vehicles not driven on public streets.

    On April 4, AG Laxalt, together with seven other attorneys general, sent a letter to the EPA urging the agency to withdraw the proposed rule. The letter details concerns over the agency’s proposed requirement that certified motor vehicles, engines and emission control devices remain in their factory-certified configuration. The EPA’s proposed regulations would have applied to activities such as National Hot Rod Association racing, drag racing, autocross and Le Mans Series racing, and would have outlawed many of the products made, sold and installed by manufacturers, retailers and technicians in Nevada, and elsewhere. The letter shows how Congress never intended to regulate competitive racing vehicles when passing the Clean Air Act in 1970.

      “This coalition of attorneys general was assembled to protect manufacturers, retailers, technicians, and consumers from federal overreach,” said Laxalt. “In Nevada, Sparks is home to one of the three world’s largest retailer of performance racing parts, and in 2014, consumers spent a total of $36 billion nationwide on automotive specialty equipment parts and accessories. I am pleased that the EPA heard the concerns of attorneys general across the country and recognized the impact this rule would have had on stock car and drag racing in Nevada and other states.”

        In addition to Nevada, other attorneys general who have signed onto the letter include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia.

          To view the signed letter addressed to the EPA, click here. To view the EPA’s statement withdrawing the proposed rule, click here.

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