CPSC poised to delay enforcement of law that bans sale of youth-model motorcycles
and ATVs

PICKERINGTON, Ohio --The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has voted to
deny a petition to exclude youth-model motorcycles and ATVs from a law that bans
their sale because of possible lead concerns--but has cleared the way for a second
vote by month's end to delay enforcement of the law, the American Motorcyclist Association
(AMA) reports.
Because both members of the commission have said they favor a stay of enforcement,
the move almost certainly will stay the execution of parts of the Consumer Product
Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) within the agency. On Friday, commission filings
in preparation for the vote indicated a stay could be as long as two years, possibly
expiring May 1, 2011. A planned second vote on that timeframe was expected by the
end of April.
In addition, it's not clear whether state attorneys general, who are also charged
with enforcing the law, will also stand down.
"Clearly this latest move shows that the CPSC realizes that youth-model motorcycles
and ATVs have no business getting caught up in a law aimed at children's toys,"
said Ed Moreland, the AMA's vice president for government relations. "We're heartened
that both commissioners favor a stay of enforcement, and it appears that this could
clear the way for dealers to sell youth-model motorcycles and ATVs--an important
consideration for riders and motorsports businesses alike as the riding and racing
season ramps up.
"However, this vote doesn't solve the larger, long-term issue, which is whether
or not youth-model motorcycles and ATVs will be exempted from the CPSIA," Moreland
noted. "We believe they should be excluded, and we will continue to work with our
partners in the industry and our friends in Congress to make that happen."
Acting CPSC Chairwoman Nancy Nord went on record on April 3 favoring a stay of enforcement.
On April 16, Commissioner Thomas Moore agreed.
"It is clear from the post-enactment statements of some Members of Congress who
were
Conferees on the CPSIA that they believe the Commission has the authority to make
sensible
allowances for these vehicles as long as child safety is not compromised," Moore
said in his statement. "Given the extremely restrictive language of the law, the
only avenue I can see is for the Commission to establish an enforcement plan that
follows, to the greatest extent possible, the Act's intention for future production,
while providing relief to the industry and the riding community for vehicles already
manufactured and those manufactured during the stay."
The full text of Moore's statement is below.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE THOMAS H. MOORE
ON THE PETITION FOR TEMPORARY FINAL RULE
TO EXCLUDE A CLASS OF MATERIALS UNDER SECTION 101(b) OF
THE CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2008 (CPSIA)
April 16, 2009
I am aware of the speculation that has surrounded my vote on this issue. My staff
has spent the time since the ballot came to the Commission working on what I believe
is a good solution for the riders of youth motorized recreational vehicles, building
and expanding upon the initial position taken by Acting Chairman Nord. The direction
my colleague and I are giving to the staff today balances the Congressional desire
to protect children from unnecessary contact with leaded components in these vehicles
with the need to protect those same children from the potential for physical injury
related to riding inappropriate adult-sized vehicles, or riding vehicles either
in need of repair or less structurally sound than the ones currently on the market.
It is clear from the post-enactment statements of some Members of Congress who were
Conferees on the CPSIA that they believe the Commission has the authority to make
sensible allowances for these vehicles as long as child safety is not compromised.
Given the extremely restrictive language of the law, the only avenue I can see is
for the Commission to establish an enforcement plan that follows, to the greatest
extent possible, the Act's intention for future production, while providing relief
to the industry and the riding community for vehicles already manufactured and those
manufactured during the stay. There are compelling safety arguments that justify
a stay of enforcement.
It is ironic that I am defending vehicles that I consider to be dangerous for children
under 12 to ride and which contain accessible parts with excess levels of lead.
However, the alternatives appear to be more dangerous. American parents seem to
be willing to accept the risk for their children riding these vehicles, so it is
the agency's task, at this stage, to ensure that the vehicles are as safe as possible.
One safety rule the agency has stressed is keeping children off of adult-sized ATVs.1
To the extent that new children's ATVs cannot currently meet the lead limits in
the CPSIA, there is the likelihood that parents seeking new vehicles will buy adult-sized
ATVs for their children to use. We have also been notified by one ATV manufacturer
that they are simply relabeling their Y-6+ and Y-10+ youth ATVs as Y-12+, removing
the speed limiting device and continuing to sell them. Thus the vehicles that are
more accurately sized for younger children will be less safe because of their ability
to attain higher speeds.
The other part of the safety equation that helps balance an enforcement plan against
the increased lead exposure it allows, is based on the assertions that certain vehicle
components cannot be made with lead below a certain level without compromising the
structural integrity (or another safety element) of the component. The enforcement
plan of the Commission must require concrete data from the manufacturers on this
point to justify their continued use of lead in excess of the applicable lead limit.
The industry has pointed to the European Union's RoHS and ELV Directives as a guide
for what lead reductions or substitutions may be technologically infeasible for
their youth vehicles. While we might not need to allow the high lead limits allowed
in those Directives for all components, there is guidance to be taken in how the
European system is administered. They set an expiration date for their exemptions.
Prior to that expiration date it is up to industry to come in and make their case
that it is still technologically infeasible to reduce lead to a level at which an
exemption is no longer required. The evidence considered is strictly limited to
technological feasibility, not on the higher cost of a viable substitute. The guiding
principle for this agency's determinations has to be the safety of the children
riding these vehicles.
I believe a stay of enforcement issued by the Commission should:
--relieve all makers, sellers, and distributors of youth motorized recreational
vehicles made to date and through the expiration date of the stay from enforcement
actions for failure to meet the lead limits of the CPSIA;
--allow those vehicles to be repaired, sold, traded, and otherwise used as they
have been;
--allow the sale, distribution and installation of replacement parts that are comparable
in lead levels to the old part being replaced until such time as those parts can
be brought into compliance;
--expect industry to bring their vehicle components into compliance on a
reasonable schedule, to the extent that is technologically feasible, and to provide
us with the detailed information we need to make informed decisions about those
components in the future.
The Commission simply cannot ignore the safety tradeoffs that could arise by not
providing this relief but it must also work with industry to bring the non-complying
components of these youth vehicles as close to the lead limits established by law
as is currently technologically feasible, to the extent those parts cannot be made
inaccessible. The Commission also needs to let the riding community know that they
can continue to use the vehicles they own as they always have.
I believe the approach taken today by myself and Acting Chairman Nord of directing
the staff to draft a Federal Register notice containing concrete elements of a stay
is the reasonable approach that the Congress is looking for us to take. I anticipate
that the Commission will vote to approve it in the near future.
1) Most of my discussion is focused on the ATV industry as they present the greatest
(lead and non-lead) safety challenges. However, the enforcement program will also
apply to children's off-road motorcycles and snowmobiles.