URGENT!! Senate Bill S1766 to call for scrapping of cars 15 years or older

[89FHPLX]

I received an email on another mailing list that I'm on that had all
the trappings of an "internet hoax." I'm sure many of you have
received messages like this before.

Anyway, this message was about Senate Bill S1766, which is the 2002
Energy Bill, or something like that. There is a provision in it,
Section 803, which *seems* to call for scrapping of cars 15 years or
older. This has the potential to DIRECTLY affect our hobby. 1987
Mustangs are 15 years old already, and the Fox body goes back to 1979.
I don't even have to mention that this affects the old musclecars, as
well.

Now, like I mentioned, this looked like another internet hoax to me,
designed to instill hysteria among automotive enthusiasts. However,
I did some research, and it seems that this is an actual bill.

Below is an excerpt of the text of Section 803 of S1766. Remember,
this is government writing, so it's not easy reading, but you should
be able to pick out the part about scrapping cars. Visit
www.summitracing.com for a "cut and paste" letter you can email to
your Senators (Bob Graham and Bill Nelson). You can find their
websites/email addresses at www.senate.gov.

Here is the URL for Section 803 of Senate Bill S1766:

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?
c107:1:./temp/~c107cEvlUk:e198302:


SEC. 803. ASSISTANCE FOR STATE PROGRAMS TO RETIRE FUEL-INEFFICIENT
MOTOR VEHICLES.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT- The Secretary shall establish a program, to be
known as the `National Motor Vehicle Efficiency Improvement Program,'
under which the Secretary shall provide grants to States to operate
programs to offer owners of passenger automobiles and light-duty
trucks manufactured in model years more than 15 years prior to the
fiscal year in which appropriations are made under subsection (d) to
provide financial incentives to scrap such automobiles and to replace
them with automobiles with higher fuel efficiency.

(b) STATE PLAN- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment
of an appropriations act containing funds authorized under subsection
(d), to be eligible to receive funds under the program, the Governor
of a State shall submit to the Secretary a plan to carry out a
program under this subtitle in that State.

(c) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA- The Secretary shall approve a State plan
and provide the funds under subsection (d), if the State plan--

(1) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks
turned in be scrapped;

(2) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks
turned in be currently registered in the State in order to be
eligible;

(3) requires that all passenger automobiles and light-duty trucks
turned in be operational at the time that they are turned in;

(4) restricts automobile owners (except not-for-profit organizations)
from turning in more than one passenger automobile and one light-duty
truck in a 12-month period;

(5) provides an appropriate payment to the person recycling the
scrapped passenger automobile or light-duty truck for each turned-in
passenger automobile or light-duty truck;

(6) provides a minimum payment to the automobile owner for each
passenger automobile and light-duty truck turned in; and

(7) provides, in addition to the payment under paragraph (6), an
additional credit that may be redeemed by the owner of the turned-in
passenger automobile or light-duty truck at the time of purchase of
new fuel-efficient automobile.

(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS- There are hereby authorized to
be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section such sums
as may be necessary, to remain available until expended.