01-24-2003

03LR01 - January 23, 2003

MRF LEADERS' REPORT
Motorcycle Riders Foundation
P.O. Box 1808
Washington, DC 20013-1808
202-546-0983 (voice)
202-546-0986 (fax)
wyld@mrf.org (e-mail)
http://www.mrf.org (website)

#03LR01 - MRF LEADERS' REPORT - Ride With The LeadersTM - January 23, 2003

TO: The Leaders of the American Motorcyclists' Rights Movement

FROM: Tom Wyld, VP-Government Relations, Motorcycle Riders Foundation

STUDY IMPACT A GRASS(roots) FIRE . . . Made possible solely by the generous contributions of individuals, groups and State Motorcyclists' Rights Organizations (SMROs) nationwide, the MRF-Vaughn Economic Impact Study of the EPA's proposed rule on street bike emissions is blazing across Washington and the nation. The MRF has embarked on an aggressive campaign to spread the word about the MRF-Vaughn Study - not just to impacted businesses, the U.S. Congress and the Administration, but to major news media and the motorcycle press.

15 SMROs COMING TO WASHINGTON . . . Following in the wake of the study is a huge wave of activism historic in the motorcyclists' rights movement in America: some 15 SMROs are signed up to visit our nation's capitol this session and the calls are still coming in. These freedom fighters will deliver a clear message, in person, to over 200 Congressmen and Senators in the next 10 weeks. The message: riders mean business when it comes to safeguarding motorcycling in America. Encourage your SMRO to join them. Call 202-546-0983 to discuss your capitol visit!

ACTION ON ALL FRONTS . . . In addition to all the activity surrounding the EPA issue, there will be action soon on our plan for motorcyclists' rights and safety through the reauthorization of TEA-21. The MRF's TEA-03 Initiatives can be viewed in their entirety at http://www.mrf.org/TEA-03.php). We will also progress soon on the health care issue. In short, after two solid years of work, we're seeing the signs of a harvest ahead on all major federal issues. We will address TEA-03 and health care in forthcoming MRF E-Mail Alerts and MRF Leaders' Reports. In the meantime . . .

YOUR CONGRESSMEN WILL REVIEW THIS RULE . . . The time is right for our study and our activism. In the next few weeks, the EPA will publish a FINAL rulemaking on street bike emissions. Your Congressman and Senators are REQUIRED to review that final rule! If you haven't sent our study to your Congressman and Senators, do so today. Find their email addresses at http://thomas.loc.gov. Simply state that YOU are alarmed about the EPA's impact on small business and rider safety, and you have PROOF that your alarm is justified. Include in your email a link to both the MRF's public comments on the proposed rule (http://www.mrf.org/pp_arc1-7-03.php) and the MRF-VAUGHN STUDY itself (http://www.mrf.org/pdf/epa_vaughn_study.pdf).

STAKES ARE HIGH . . . Authored by economist Garrett A. Vaughn, Ph.D., the MRF-Vaughn Study found that the EPA failed to comply with presidential orders and statutes that require special safeguards to protect small businesses. Moreover, the study documents that the proposed rulemaking will force a decline in motorcycling in America - at the very time when fuel consumption, traffic congestion and U.S. reliance on foreign oil dictate that motorcycling should increase.

DECLINE IN MOTORCYCLING FORECASTED . . . The MRF wrote to the EPA that "a sharp, prolonged downward trend in motorcycle sales is predictable using California as a model..... California experienced a 7.7% REDUCTION in motorcycle registrations between 1996 and 2001 while registrations increased by 32.2% in the other 49 states. Even a cursory look at the data suggests that government regulations explain much of the fall in California's motorcycle registrations."

LOOKING AHEAD . . . In addition to the SMROs that will be visiting DC, we will be traveling to numerous SMRO leadership summits in the weeks to come, including ABATE of Illinois, ABATE of Pennsylvania, ABATE of Ohio, AMA's Introduction to Washington, Freedom of Road Riders Missouri, and Heartland STEAM in Minnesota.

Yours for the right to ride, and your friend,

Tom

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(c)All Information contained in this report is copyrighted. Reproduction permitted with attribution. The Motorcycle Riders Foundation, incorporated in 1987, is a membership-based, national motorcyclists' rights organization headquartered in Washington, DC. The first motorcyclists' rights organization to establish a full-time presence in Washington, DC, the Motorcycle Riders Foundation is the only Washington voice devoted exclusively to the street rider. The MRF established MRFPAC in the early 1990s to advocate the election of candidates who would champion the cause of rider safety and rider freedom.

The MRF proudly claims state motorcyclists' rights organizations and the very founders of the American riders' rights movement among its leading members. The MRF is involved in federal and state legislation and regulations, motorcycling safety education, training, and public awareness. The MRF provides members and state motorcyclists' rights organizations with direction and information, and sponsors annual regional and national educational seminars for motorcyclists' rights activists, as well as publishing a bi-monthly newsletter, THE MRF REPORTS.


The MRF Reports is an official publication of the Motorcycle Riders Foundation. All rights reserved. The print version is published six times per year and distributed nationwide.

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