RPM Act Arrives In U.S. Senate

Momentum grows in support of the bill.

The Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act (S. 2736), also known as the RPM Act, was just reintroduced in the U.S. Senate. The RPM Act is a bipartisan effort intended to protect the motorsport community and the businesses which support it from a reinterpretation of the 1970 Clean Air Act by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Just last week, Tuner Fan covered the story of PFI Speed, a performance shop in Colorado that was hit by the EPA with an $18,000 fine for selling 37 Hondata S300 "piggyback" engine control units (ECUs) over a two-year timespan. According to PFI Speed owner Brent Leivestad, if the shop didn't pony up the $18,000 within 30 days, the fine would increase to as much as $180,000.

According to Performance Racing Industry (PRI) President Dr. Jamie Meyer, Leivestad's story is a perfect example of how the EPA has reinterpreted the Clean Air Act to target small businesses that support amateur and grassroots racing enthusiasts.

Back in 2016, PRI, which is affiliated with the Speciality Equipment Market Association, otherwise known as SEMA, called attention to the EPA's efforts to leverage the Clean Air Act as a way to target companies selling performance parts to convert street cars into race cars. The EPA eventually withdrew its proposed rule changes, but according to PRI and SEMA, the EPA continues to assert that vehicles converted to competition use are still subject to enforcement under the Clean Air Act, thus leaving companies like PFI Speed vulnerable.

In order to codify specific protections for those companies that support enthusiasts who choose to convert their street vehicle for competition use, PRI drafted the RPM Act, which was recently reintroduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Jon Tester (D-MT). The bill includes six original sponsors, including Thom Tillis (R-NC), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ).

"Amateur motorsports is a unique American pastime," said Senator Burr. "This bipartisan legislation provides certainty for folks who enjoy America's long-held racing tradition, in the spirit Congress intended when it passed the Clean Air Act more than 50 years ago. I'm proud to work with my colleagues on this common-sense legislation to protect the legacy of American motorsports for years to come."

PRI now urges the racing community to contact lawmakers in support of the RPM Act. According to PRI, more than 1.5 million letters have already been sent to federal lawmakers in support of the bill this year.

"It is critical that members of Congress continue to hear from the racing and automotive enthusiast communities about the importance of passing the RPM Act into law during this session of Congress," said PRI President Meyer. "We've witnessed the impact that our actions have had in getting the RPM Act to where it is today, but we must continue the momentum and continue to tell Congress to pass the RPM Act immediately."