MARYLAND BILL TO CREATE TIRE EFFICIENCY PROGRAM GAINS NO TRACTION

SEMA again helped defeat Maryland legislation requiring the development of a statewide program to mandate that replacement tires for passenger cars meet fuel efficiency standards. The replacement tire efficiency program was anti-consumer, anti-small business, and would have required a substantial appropriation. This year’s version of the bill also included a credit against the excise tax for specified fuel-efficient vehicles. 

Most importantly, a replacement tire efficiency program was included in federal energy legislation signed into law last year. As proposed, the Maryland program could have created conflict with the Federal program. The federal program includes a SEMA-drafted exemption for limited production tires (15,000 or less annually) and other specialized tires. 

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.