California legislators have accepted an amendment to a bill that would
require regulators to develop a replacement-tire, fuel-efficiency
program.
The amendment exempts limited-production tires (15,000 or less
annually) from the scope of the law and subsequent regulation. The bill
also seeks to create a replacement-tire rating system and specifically
claims that original-equipment tires offer fuel-economy benefits that
aftermarket tires do not.
The bill was passed in the assembly and was recently passed by the
Senate Environmental Quality Committee; it will next be considered by
the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Congress Could Follow With Federal Tire-Efficiency Program
An amendment to the energy bill could be offered in the U.S.
Congress by Senators Schumer (D-New York) and Cantwell (D-Washington).
The amendment would require replacement tires to be labeled with
fuel-economy information, perhaps identical to the ratings being
considered in California. The amendment would also likely require the
U.S. Department of Transportation to promulgate minimum fuel-economy
standards for tires designed to ensure that fuel economy is at least
equal to original-equipment tires.
