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Your Motorcycle Riders Foundation team in Washington, D.C. is pleased to provide our members with the latest information and updates on issues that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. Count on your MRF to keep you informed about a range of matters that are critical to the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle. Published weekly when the U.S. Congress is in session.
NEWS FROM THE HILL – A New Committee Chairmanship & Senate Examination of RFS
The coveted House Energy and Commerce committee chairmanship was announced last week week; Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) will be taking the helm after Rep. Fred Upton’s (R-MI) term expired per self-imposed Republican rules. The committee has sweeping jurisdiction over issues like technology (i.e. self-driving vehicles), as well as EPA programs including the Renewable Fuel Standard and other ethanol-related issues. Reps. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and Joe Barton (R-Texas), had also expressed interest in replacing the outgoing chairman Fred Upton. The new Chairman will take over in January – the MRF intends to meet with him and his staff to detail the 2017 priorities that the Committee has jurisdiction over.
Also last week, the Senate took a close look at several recently published Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that examined the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS); the EPA program which requires increasing blends of ethanol to be used in the nation’s gasoline supply. The reports stated that despite increasing the use of advanced biofuels such as ethanol, the U.S. is still unlikely to meet the original target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is because the advanced biofuels are not being produced at high enough levels to make promised changes. The report and the hearing are likely to only further “fuel the fire” surrounding the contentious ethanol debate in Washington, DC. You can review the report and its highlights here: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-17-94
EXECUTIVE & REGULATORY UPDATES –
Flurry of Regulations Before Obama Exit & NHTSA on Distracted Driving
The White House is reviewing as many as 98 final regulations that could be implemented before President-Elect Donald Trump takes office. Though not uncommon for a President to “push through” rules and regulations before he leaves office, many of the rules are considered to be “economically significant," with an estimated economic impact of at least $100 million a year. Republicans in the House and Senate are fighting back saying that they will simply repeal any last-minute regulations shoved through before President Obama leaves office. Though none of the pending regulations are expected to directly affect bikers, they could impact the authority of the EPA to regulate methane emissions from existing oil and gas infrastructure as well as finalize the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management major rule on leases for wind and solar projects on federal land.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released proposed guidelines last week to help address driver distraction caused by mobile and other electronic devices in vehicles. The guidelines are strictly voluntary, but urge manufacturers to consider how they could minimize possible distractions for drivers when they design phones. NHTSA’s activity is the second phase of voluntary guidelines to address driver distraction on U.S. roads. The first phase focused on devices or systems built into the vehicle at the time of manufacture and was published in 2014. You can review the announcement and review the most recent guidelines by clicking on the following link:
http://www.nhtsa.gov/About-NHTSA/Press-Releases/nhtsa_distraction_guidelines_phase2_11232016
SMRO SNAPSHOT – ABATE of IOWA
At September’s Meeting of the Minds, I had a chance to connect with Ron Braaksma with ABATE of Iowa. Many of you who attended MOTM will remember Ron - he was running the revolutionary SMARTrainer; a video game like riding simulator which combines a personal computer, an advanced safety-training program and a video monitor, plus a handlebar, seat, footrests and all the standard controls found on a real motorcycle. The line to test out the SMARTrainer was always a few people deep. I finally got a chance to try it myself and…well let’s say I did not have beginner’s luck. Anyhow, Ron and I got to talking about how it might be fun to bring the SMARTrainer to our nation’s Capitol and let Members of Congress and staffers test it out and get a better appreciation of what it’s like to be on a bike.
Ron and I have been working through the details on this and are tentatively planning to executive our event during our D.C. Lobby Day on Tuesday, May 23. When we recently spoke about details, I got a quick update on some of the latest news concerning ABATE of Iowa which I am happy to share in this week’s SMRO Snapshot:
ABATE of Iowa just wrapped up their IOWA STEAM event on November 11th and 12th last month. They had almost 200 people attend where the main objectives were to “educate and motivate.” The event featured presentations and seminars concerning Share the Road and other safety issues and also included breakout sessions on a variety of topics important to their members. It was a successful event and wrapped up with a Board of Directors Meeting where Rob happily reported that ABATE of Iowa intends to move forward in furthering a positive working relationship with the MRF. Good news all around!
Legislatively, Iowa is likely to see several helmet related bills pop up in 2017; this is typical for the state but luckily, ABATE continues to be successful in defeating them due to a strong working relationship with the Iowa state delegation. The organization also expects to see other motorcycle safety related measures present themselves in next year’s legislative session, but is ready and willing to ensure their members’ voices are heard.
Keeping with the Iowa theme, this week, Senator Joni Ernst, one of the only female riders in Congress, officially became a co-sponsor of the RPM Act; a bill which limits the EPA’s attempt to regulate the amateur racing industry when it comes to modifications made on motorcycles and stock race cars. Her efforts take us one step closer towards final passage.
And a special thanks and shout out to Ron who is committing his time and effort to travel to Washington, DC in May to help drum up excitement for the world of motorcycles by allowing congressional staffers to take a ride on the SMARTrainer; these kinds of activities help to promote bikers and the issues we care about on a national scale.
PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION NEWS – Secretary of Transportation Named, EPA Next?
Last week, President-Elect Trump officially tapped Elaine Chao to lead the Department of Transportation under his Administration. She will be the top influencer in what priorities DoT, NHTSA, and the Federal Highway Administration pursue over the next 4 years. Ms. Chao served in the George W. Bush Administration as Secretary of Labor and as Deputy Secretary of Transportation. Notably, she is married to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) which suggests there will be a VERY close working relationship between DoT and the Senate moving forward. It also signals that Trump’s pledge to create a billion-dollar infrastructure plan which will provide money for states to improve highways, roadways and surface transportation programs is a very real possibility in the first year of his Presidency.
Though at the time of this writing nothing had officially been announced, this week rumored potential EPA Administrator picks met with President-Elect Trump. Among the names mentioned were Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt and Kathleen Hartnett White, the director of the Armstrong Center for Energy and the Environment at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. Both are seen as possible contenders for EPA administrator – a position that will greatly determine the polices of the EPA and how aggressive they will be in a Trump Administration. Contrary to rumors, Donald Trump has never suggested abolishing the EPA, but rather simplifying the agency’s mission and ensuring less government overreach. The EPA has been criticized as being emboldened under the Obama Administration. However, as an effect of the possible change in culture under a Trump presidency, other state environmental agencies (California in particular) are vowing to come out ‘swinging’ and taking strong positions where they can - in state environmental initiatives affecting clean air and water. For bikers, this means the possibility of stricter state regulations on air emissions from motorcycles.
MRF NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Over the past three weeks, your MRF has been hard at work gearing up to implement two new programs that will hopefully make your lives easier when it comes to being a strong advocate for the biker community and staying on top of new state legislative proposals affecting your right to ride. This week, I’d like to spotlight the federal section on our website houses within the updated Legislative Action Center…
Accessible now on our website under Legislative Action Center and Federal Legislative Issues, you can easily see what bills the MRF is tracking at the national level, identify who your federal Member of Congress is by plugging in your zip code AND you can easily contact your Senators and Congressmen on a variety of issues we are working on including anti-profiling, ethanol, the RPM Act and others. Simply click on the issue you are interested in, fill out the online form with your name, email and home address and an email will be automatically generated for your review. If you like what it says, click “SUBMIT” and it automatically goes to your Member of Congress and Senators letting them know how you feel about an issue. Easy Peasy. And most importantly, effective. This week we tried out the new program in an effort to get more co-sponsors on our motorcycle anti-profiling bill. Within 24 hours, we had 780 emails go out to Congress in support of our bill. And all it took was a couple of clicks.
If you had a chance to participate, let me know what you thought. We’d like to use this more and more as an easy way to get in touch with our legislators to let them know how we feel about an issue. If you have any feedback on how to improve the program going forward, let me know!
Your Friend in Washington,
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Megan Ekstrom
Vice-President of Government Affairs & Public Relations
The Motorcycle Riders Foundation