Washington, D.C., Feb. 18, 2010 – Today, representatives from the Motorcycle Industry
Council (MIC) delivered nearly 4,000 letters to Congress signed by motorcycle industry
professionals that have had their livelihoods impacted by the lead provisions of the Consumer
Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). The letters were signed and collected at the
Dealernews International Powersports Dealer Expo in Indianapolis, IN, Feb. 12-15. MIC also
hosted other activities and provided multi-media communications tools that allowed dealers,
MIC members, and Expo exhibitors to urge Congress to take action to permanently end the ban
on youth vehicles.
“We believe these letters along with the other communications will help add to the momentum
encouraging Congress to amend the CPSIA’s lead content provisions to exclude youth
vehicles,” said MIC chairman and Cycle World Magazine senior vice president and chief brand
officer, Larry Little. “Our Industry has a voice and we believe Congress is hearing us loud and
clear. The timing of the show couldn’t have been better given the Consumer Product Safety
Commission’s (CPSC) recent recommendations.”
The CPSC recently requested flexibility to grant exclusions from the lead content limit to
address certain products including youth vehicles in a Jan. 15 report to Congress.
MIC’s general counsel Paul Vitrano said, “We are headed in the right direction, but we still need
to have our voice heard. We encourage every rider and everyone in the industry to weigh in.
The Expo in Indianapolis was a great kick-off, but there are still opportunities to urge Congress
to stop the ban.”
The letters were delivered to Chairman Rockefeller (D-WV) and Ranking Member Hutchison
(R-TX) of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and to Chairman
Waxman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Joe Barton (R-TX) of the House Committee on Energy
and Commerce as well as to the Senate and House Appropriations Committees.
“It is important that the Committees that have jurisdiction over this issue, and who will be
important players in any ultimate resolution, have a real understanding of how many people
from their states, districts and across America are impacted by the ban,” stated MIC’s director of
federal affairs, Duane Taylor.
Please visit www.stopthebannow.com to have your voice heard.
Three key reasons why youth ATVs and motorcycles should be excluded from the CPSIA’s lead
content provisions:
- The lead content poses no risk to kids. Experts estimate that the lead intake from kids’
interaction with metal parts is less than the lead intake from drinking a glass of water.
- The key to keeping youth safe is having them ride the right size vehicle. Kids are now at
risk because the availability of youth ATVs and motorcycles is limited due to the lead ban.
- The lead ban hurts the economy for no good reason when everyone is trying to grow the
economy and create jobs. MIC estimates that a complete ban on youth model vehicles would
result in about $1 billion in lost economic value in the retail marketplace every year.
Visit www.stopthebannow.com for background information, FAQs, and public outreach tools for
the Stop The Ban campaign.
The Motorcycle Industry Council exists to preserve, protect and promote motorcycling through
government relations, communications and media relations, statistics and research, aftermarket
programs, development of data communications standards, and activities surrounding technical
and regulatory issues. It is a not-for-profit, national industry association representing
manufacturers and distributors of motorcycles, scooters, motorcycle/ATV/ROV parts and
accessories, and members of allied trades such as insurance, finance and investment
companies, media companies and consultants. The MIC is headquartered in Irvine, Calif., with a
government relations office adjacent to Washington, D.C. First called the MIC in 1970, the
organization has been in operation since 1914. Visit the MIC at www.mic.org.
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