PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Creates a program to check products that say they will improve a car’s fuel economy. Retrofit device: a part, piece of equipment, or fuel additive that is added to or replaces car parts and is claimed to increase fuel economy. The Federal Trade Commission must run regular reviews of those fuel-economy claims. If the FTC thinks a claim might be wrong, it will ask the EPA Administrator to evaluate the device. The EPA Administrator must test a device when its maker asks, when the FTC asks, or on the Administrator’s own initiative. If a maker requests testing, the maker must give samples and pay the testing costs and may have to pay for preliminary testing by an independent lab. The EPA must publish test summaries and conclusions in the Federal Register and send them to the Secretary of Transportation and the Federal Trade Commission. The EPA must also write rules for how to test devices and how to judge whether the fuel-economy claims are accurate.

Title 49, §32918

Transportation, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Definition.—

In this section, the term “retrofit device” means any component, equipment, or other device—

(1)that is designed to be installed in or on an automobile (as an addition to, as a replacement for, or through alteration or modification of, any original component, equipment, or other device); and

(2)that any manufacturer, dealer, or distributor of the device represents will provide higher fuel economy than would have resulted with the automobile as originally equipped,

as determined under regulations of the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The term also includes a fuel additive for use in an automobile.

(b)Examination of Fuel Economy Representations.—

The Federal Trade Commission shall establish a program for systematically examining fuel economy representations made with respect to retrofit devices. Whenever the Commission has reason to believe that any representation may be inaccurate, the Commission shall request the Administrator to evaluate, in accordance with subsection (c) of this section, the retrofit device with respect to which the representation was made.

(c)Evaluation of Retrofit Devices.—

(1)On application of any manufacturer of a retrofit device (or prototype of a retrofit device), on request of the Commission under subsection (b) of this section, or on the motion of the Administrator, the Administrator shall evaluate, in accordance with regulations prescribed under subsection (e) of this section, any retrofit device to determine whether the retrofit device increases fuel economy and to determine whether the representations, if any, made with respect to the retrofit device are accurate.

(2)If under paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Administrator tests, or causes to be tested, any retrofit device on the application of a manufacturer of the device, the manufacturer shall supply, at the manufacturer’s expense, one or more samples of the device to the Administrator and shall be liable for the costs of testing incurred by the Administrator. The procedures for testing retrofit devices so supplied may include a requirement for preliminary testing by a qualified independent testing laboratory, at the expense of the manufacturer of the device.

(d)Results of Tests and Publication in Federal Register.—

(1)The Administrator shall publish in the Federal Register a summary of the results of all tests conducted under this section, together with the Administrator’s conclusions as to—

(A)the effect of any retrofit device on fuel economy;

(B)the effect of the device on emissions of air pollutants; and

(C)any other information the Administrator determines to be relevant in evaluating the device.

(2)The summary and conclusions shall also be submitted to the Secretary of Transportation and the Commission.

(e)Regulations Establishing Tests and Procedures for Evaluation of Retrofit Devices.—

The Administrator shall prescribe regulations establishing—

(1)testing and other procedures for evaluating the extent to which retrofit devices affect fuel economy and emissions of air pollutants; and

(2)criteria for evaluating the accuracy of fuel economy representations made with respect to retrofit devices.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Revised SectionSource (U.S. Code)Source (Statutes at Large) 3291815:2011.Oct. 20, 1972, Pub. L. 92–513, § 511, as added Dec. 22, 1975, Pub. L. 94–163, § 301, 89 Stat. 915, and amended July 5, 1994, Pub. L. 103–272, § 4(c), 108 Stat. 1361. This restates 15:2011 to include 15:2011 in the scope of the codification enacted by section 1 of the Act of July 5, 1994 (Public Law 103–272, 108 Stat. 745). In subsection (a), the words “Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency” are substituted for “Administrator” for clarity and to conform to the style of the codification which is to state the complete title the first time a descriptive title is used, and thereafter, to use a shorter title unless the context requires the complete title to be used. In subsections (c) and (e), the word “

Regulations

” is substituted for “rules” and “by rule” for consistency with the restatement of title 49. In subsection (e)(1), the words “The Administrator shall prescribe

Regulations

establishing” are substituted for “Within 180 days after December 22, 1975, the Administrator shall, by rule, establish” to eliminate executed words.

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 32918 was renumbered section 32919 of this title.

§32918 Retrofit Devices

Summary

Title 49, §32918

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Historical and Revision Notes

Regulations

Regulations

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

Citations & Metadata