Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2011 - Revises the authority of the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to exempt a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment from federal safety standards for purposes of research, investigations, demonstrations, training, competitive racing events, show, or display. Requires the Secretary to: (1) exempt low volume motor vehicle manufacturers from such standards, and (2) treat such motor vehicles as assemblages of equipment for purposes of determining compliance with such standards.
Defines "low volume manufacturer" as one whose total motor vehicle production claimed under the exemption is no more than 1,000 vehicles annually.
Subjects a replica of a previously manufactured vehicle only to safety standards for the model year of the body of the vehicle it replicates.
Requires a low volume manufacturer to register with the Secretary to qualify for such exemption.
Directs the Secretary to require a permanent label to be fixed to such a motor vehicle identifying the safety standards or bumper standard from which the vehicle is exempt.
Amends the Clean Air Act to allow low volume motor vehicle manufacturers who register with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to install a motor vehicle engine from a motor vehicle already fully certified as meeting federal air emissions standards, including those for on-board diagnostic systems (OBD II), but excluding those for evaporative emissions.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3274 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3274
To direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to
establish a program allowing small volume vehicle manufacturers to
produce not more than 1,000 vehicles annually within a regulatory
system that addresses the unique safety and financial issues associated
with limited production, and to direct the Environmental Protection
Agency to allow low volume vehicle manufacturers to rely upon
certificates of conformity issued to engines from certified vehicles.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 27, 2011
Mr. Campbell (for himself, Mr. Posey, Mr. Manzullo, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr.
Hunter, and Mr. Barrow) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to
establish a program allowing small volume vehicle manufacturers to
produce not more than 1,000 vehicles annually within a regulatory
system that addresses the unique safety and financial issues associated
with limited production, and to direct the Environmental Protection
Agency to allow low volume vehicle manufacturers to rely upon
certificates of conformity issued to engines from certified vehicles.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Low Volume Motor Vehicle
Manufacturers Act of 2011''.
SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE REQUIREMENTS FOR LOW VOLUME MOTOR VEHICLE
MANUFACTURERS.
Section 30114 of title 49, United States Code, is amended--
(1) by striking ``The'' and inserting ``(a) Vehicles Used
for Research, Demonstration, Racing, Etc.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(b) Alternative Requirements for Low Volume Manufacturers.--
``(1) Exemption authority.--The Secretary shall exempt
motor vehicles manufactured by a low volume manufacturer from
section 30112(a) of this title and treat such motor vehicles as
assemblages of motor vehicle equipment for purposes of
determining compliance with the motor vehicle safety standards
applicable to such equipment. Vehicles that are replicas of
previously manufactured vehicles shall only be subject to
safety standards for the model year that the body of such
vehicle replicates.
``(2) Manufacturer obligations.--A low volume manufacturer
shall register with the Secretary, at a time and in a form and
manner and under such terms that the Secretary determines
appropriate.
``(3) Permanent label requirements.--The Secretary shall
require a permanent label to be fixed to a motor vehicle
granted an exemption under paragraph (1). The label shall
either identify or describe the motor vehicle safety standards
prescribed under this chapter or bumper standard prescribed
under chapter 325 of this title from which the vehicle is
exempt. The Secretary may require that written notice of an
exemption be delivered by appropriate means to the dealer and
the first purchaser of the vehicle (other than a purchaser who
purchases the vehicle for resale).
``(4) Definition.--As used in this subsection, the term
`low volume manufacturer' means that the manufacturer's total
motor vehicle production claimed under the exemption is not
more than 1,000 vehicles annually.''.
SEC. 3. LOW VOLUME MOTOR VEHICLE AND MOTOR VEHICLE ENGINE COMPLIANCE.
Paragraph (3) of section 206(a) of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C.
7525(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(C) In the case of a motor vehicle that is
manufactured in a quantity not exceeding 1,000 vehicles
annually, the vehicle manufacturer shall register with
the Agency and then be permitted to install a motor
vehicle engine for which a certificate of conformity
has already been issued. The engine shall be from a
fully certified vehicle. The vehicle shall meet the
standards for on-board diagnostic systems commonly
known as OBD II, except those for evaporative
emissions.''.
SEC. 4. IMPLEMENTATION.
The Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency shall implement the amendments made by
sections 2 and 3 of this Act, respectively, within 12 months after the
date of the enactment of this Act.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
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