Washington, D.C., Feb. 18, 2010 - Today, representatives from the Motorcycle Industry Council (MIC) delivered nearly 4,000 letters to Congress signed by motorcycle industry professionals that have had their livelihoods impacted by the lead provisions of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The letters were signed and collected at the Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 12-15. MIC also hosted other activities and provided multi-media communications tools that allowed dealers, MIC members, and Expo exhibitors to urge Congress to take action to permanently end the ban on youth vehicles.
"We believe these letters along with the other communications will help add to the momentum encouraging Congress to amend the CPSIA's lead content provisions to exclude youth vehicles," said MIC chairman Larry Little. "Our Industry has a voice and we believe Congress is hearing us loud and clear. The timing of the show couldn't have been better given the Consumer Product Safety Commission's (CPSC) recent recommendations."
The CPSC recently requested flexibility to grant exclusions from the lead content limit to address certain products including youth vehicles in a Jan. 15 report to Congress.
MIC's general counsel Paul Vitrano said, "We are headed in the right direction, but we still need to have our voice heard. We encourage every rider and everyone in the industry to weigh in. The Expo in Indianapolis was a great kick-off, but there are still opportunities to urge Congress to stop the ban."
The letters were delivered to Chairman Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member Hutchison (R-TX) of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and to Chairman Waxman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce as well as to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.
"It is important that the Committees that have jurisdiction over this issue, and who will be important players in any ultimate resolution, have a real understanding of how many people from their states, districts and across America are impacted by the ban," stated MIC's director of federal affairs, Duane Taylor.
Three key reasons why youth ATVs and motorcycles should be excluded from the CPSIA's lead content provisions:
1. The lead content poses no risk to kids. Experts estimate that the lead intake from kids' interaction with metal parts is less than the lead intake from drinking a glass of water.
2. The key to keeping youth safe is having them ride the right size vehicle. Kids are now at risk because the availability of youth ATVs and motorcycles is limited due to the lead ban.
3. The lead ban hurts the economy for no good reason when everyone is trying to grow the economy and create jobs. MIC estimates that a complete ban on youth model vehicles would result in about $1 billion in lost economic value in the retail marketplace every year.
Visit www.stopthebannow.com for background information, FAQs, and public outreach tools for the Stop The Ban campaign.
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical and regulatory issues. It is a not-for-profit, national industry association representing manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts and accessories, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment companies, media companies and consultants. The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a government relations office adjacent to Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at www.mic.org.