Once again, when ARA issued the call, our members followed through in a major way. ARA members and affiliate chapters across the country submitted letters supporting the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) proposed rule to allow disposal facilities an additional 90 days – for a total of 270 days – to crush or shred a vehicle traded in under the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save (CARS) program. ARA issued its comments yesterday, concluding three weeks of intense focus on this highly important issue on behalf of the membership. All comments regarding the NHTSA proposed extension can be viewed on NHTSA’s web site. ARA will notify the membership as soon as the final ruling becomes available, anticipated to be on February 1, 2010.
On a related note, the US Senate has confirmed the new presidential-nominated NHTSA Administrator, David Strickland, who currently serves as senior counsel to the Senate Commerce Committee.
Mr. Strickland has served as staff on the Commerce Committee and as the lead counsel overseeing NHTSA for more than eight years. As the Senior Counsel on the Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance Subcommittee, Mr. Strickland is the Senate’s leading staff expert on fuel economy and vehicle safety. He played a lead role in the passage of several major pieces of legislation related to NHSTA, including SAFETEA-LU, the Highway Bill Reauthorization, which was passed in 2005. Mr. Strickland also served as the lead Senate staffer and negotiator on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) title of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
ARA looks forward to continuing our professional relationship with NHTSA and working with the new administrator on issues pertaining to automotive recycling.
