The Specialty Equipment Market Association & Performance Racing, Inc. (SEMA) announced this month that it has filed an amicus brief in the case of Diamond Alternative Energy, LLC v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking for a review of the legality of the EPA's decision to grant California the authority to limit the sale of vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICE). The Advanced Clean Car II regulations would limit the sales of ICE vehicles from model years 2017 through 2025 and ultimately end with a ban on the sale of ICE vehicles by 2035.
“California has already declared the winner of the race, and by extension, begins to foreclose on the innovations and unique contributions to cleaner vehicles and parts that the aftermarket for years has been providing,” SEMA said. “The question presented is important not just to the specialty equipment aftermarket, but to consumers and the public at large who seek out these inventive products, and, as a result, the Court should grant the petition to address it.”
SEMA argued that limiting ICE vehicles would have a "devastating impact on the automotive aftermarket industry," as well as other industries that use internal combustion engines. The organization also argued that the ban would stifle innovation that could produce environmentally cleaner vehicles.
