SEMA and Vermont hobbyists successfully opposed two Vermont bills that would have implemented statewide vehicle scrappage programs.
The first proposal would have created a scrappage program funded by a pollution surcharge and a diesel fuel tax. The pollution surcharge would have been tied to vehicle registrations and would be more costly on expensive - and supposedly higher polluting - vehicles. Further, a voucher system would pay owners of scrapped vehicles up to $2,000, calculated so that the state pays more for scrapping vehicles that pollute the most. These vouchers could have then been used to purchase public transit tickets or a replacement vehicle identified on a state-prepared "Clean Car List" from a dealership participating in the program. The second scrappage bill proposed to dispatch portable vehicle crushers to various locations in the state to accept vehicles for crushing.
"SEMA and New England area SEMA Action Network hobbyists were able to convince Vermont legislators that these programs don’t work," noted Brian Caudill, SEMA Action Network Director. "Scrappage remains a public policy fraud. These programs do little to clean the air. The only thing they do well is eliminate the availability of vintage cars for restoration projects and curtail the availability of inexpensive transportation for lower-income families."
SEMA would like to note that Vermont has seen several scrappage bills introduced in the last two legislative sessions. Each time, these bills have failed in no small part because Vermont SEMA Action Network enthusiasts like the American Truck Historical Society, Green Mountain Chapter, Champlain Valley Street Rods and the Adirondack Mustang club and the New England Mopar Club have taken action.