Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Congressman ~ wants Statler's ~ . . resIgnatIon ~ ~ WASHINGTON, DC , SEPT. .... 10 V Congressman Larry Craig, (R -ID), has called .0 o on a member of the Consumer Product Safety ... u commission (CP SC) to with draw from th e o agency's investigationof three-wheeled AllT errain Vehicles (AT Vs) for a brea ch of imparti ality and objectivity during the investigative period. (Above) A narrower tank on the YZ490 makes it much eas ier t o th r o w around . (Bel o w) It's still ai r -coo led and Yamaha is proud of it . (C raig is the ranking m ino ri ty m ember o f th e Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer, and Monetary Affairs o f th e Committee on G overn ment Opera tions which held h earings on th e sa fety h istory of the ATV o n Ma y 21.) Craig mad e th e req uest in a letter to Commissioner Stuart " Ban 'em " Sta tler in whi ch h e said th at Statl er Th e Id a h o lawm aker said th e Agen cy' s own Gen eral Counsel issu ed an opin ion that seems to rais e the pos sibility tha t Statler 's dissem in ation of " fac t sh eets " on ATVs was in vio lation o f secti on 6(B)(6) of the Cons umer Product Safety Act. " Yo ur submission of a fact sh eet for Secti on 6 clea rance after you sent it to several n ews a nd co nsu me r o rga n izatio ns aro un d the co u nt ry does not com p ly with this instructi on," Craig sta ted. The CPSA requires th at new lycrea ted mat eri al. even if it in corpora tes information whi ch had previously been cleared for release, mus t be scrutinized for acc u racy a nd ap propria te co ntex t. Cra ig bel ieves that S ta tler's su bmissio n of a fact shee t for cleara nce aft er it was sen t to severa l news a nd co ns umer organ izations a ro u nd th e co u ntry does not co mply with this regulati on. • Text of Craig 's letter to Statler Stuart "Ban ' em" Stat ler (Bel ow) Th e YZ49 0 f inally h as a six-speed t ran smissio n w ith a ref ined m ot or . Horsepower is awesome, but v i bra t io n is still a proble m . clamps should help. In sto ck form , though, it holds its line very well but is m ore happy o u t in th e berms. The gas tank on th e 490 is narrow er a nd lower th is year, m ak ing it easier to throw th e 490 arou n d in th e ai r a n d in th e turns. Brak es are ver y strong and smooth, and th e cl u tch h as a light pul l. The IT200 en duro features o n lv on e maj or ch a n ge , and th a t's th e additi on of a front dis c bra ke. Besides having th e stro nger front brak e, th e IT perform s the sa me a s last yea r's. T he T Y350 tri a ls bik e. lik e th e IT200, o n ly features one ch ange, a nd tha t's a n ew rear shoc k with a remote reservo Ir . • h a s jeopa rdized th e Commission 's regu lat ory procedures on th e ATV issue. " Yo ur personal pr ess releases in the gu ise o f ' fa ct she ets' under ' Commission let terhead have, in m y judgem ent, p laced th e en tire Commi ssi on 's regulatory procedures o n thi s issu e a t ri sk ," Cr ai g sa id . Cr ai g a lso sa id th ere is n o doubt th at Statler has prejudiced th e issu e a nd is co nseq ue nt ly unable to make a rat ional a nd level -h ea ded deci sion ba sed o n facts p resented to th e Com mission. " Your unprof essional a nd a ntagon is tic beha vi o r du r in g th e C PSC's July 25 Concord, New Ha mpshi re hearing was not o n ly unbecomin g of a U .5 . government off icia l, but a lso clearly demons trated your in abili ty to listen d ispassiona tely to eviden ce," said Craig , referri ng to Sta tle r's walkin g o ut o f th e hearing following testimony from ATV dealers ; th at testirnonv rebuted Statler's of ten - heard charges that ATVs are inherently unsafe. " I a lso wi sh to remind yo u o f your duty to u phold th e law a nd to cease dis seminating prej ud icia l a nd in accura te information regarding the Commission's stance o n this issue. I a m a lso fully prep ared to pursu e a ll othe r avenues to ma ke sure th at bot h th e spirit and letter o f the sta tutory mandat e req u ired of pu bli c officials su ch as vourself ar e met. " CPSC Chairman T errance Scanlon is on reco rd as saying that th e CPSC is nowhere ne ar having adequate informati on on which to m ak e a decision o n ATV safety, si n ce th e investi gation of th e safety of th e a ll terr ain vehicles is not co mpleted . I am in recei p t of d oe..u mems p rovided by th e Commi ssion in response to 01)' Ju l)' 25 le-t te-r to Ch airman Scanlon. After a revi ew o f th ese documen ts. I co n n n uc to be co nce rn ed abou t sta tem en ts by Com mis sio ners on possihlt' Commission acri o n on all-u-rra in vehic les ( :\·n ' !lo). Spec ifica fly . yo ur eom meurs bo th ill p rh u a nd speech in di ca te lO mt: a ....-rious brea ch of Iht· im pa rt iali ty a nd o bjert ivn v required o f Com missioners 10 p ro pe r ly con side r th e AT\" i"sut, d urin g thi s cr ucia l in vt'slig-aliv(' pe-riod. Your pe rso n al press relea se in the J{ui!>(' of " f,KI shee ts" under Comm ission irttrrhead ha ve. in my j udgem ent . p la ced the en ti re Co mm ission 's reg u latl)r) ' pr ocedu res Oil th is issu e at r isk . AtHmlill K If) rhe in form at io n th e Co m miss io n has supplied, the uge u rv's Ge nera l Co u n se- l's op in io n seems to wist· the po ssibi fity th a t yo ur di sseminat ion o f " fan sheet s" o n ATVs was in vi ol at ion o f Section 6 (B)(6) o f rbe Co ns umer Product Saft'IYA('I (CPSA). T hai opi nion req ui res that ne wly-crea te-dmat erial . eve-nif it incorpor tes informa tion wh ich had pr evi o ualv been cleara ed for release , m ust be scru tin ized for acc uracy a nd appro pr ia te co n text. Your su bmi ss io n o f a fan sht"t,( for 5t'(:ti o n 6 dt"d ra nn' ajtr ryou!>t::'1Hit to sever l ne ws a a n d co n ..umer o rg aniza tio n .. a ro u nd rh e cou nrrv does n OI co m p ly with th is ins tr uct io n . The- Commissio n's Slan dem onstra ted the m eri t o f th e Gt'l1('ral Cou nsel 's JXI..ilion whe-n [h t'~ req ue-sted seve ra l ch a n ges 10 yo ur [act ..hee r. 1 beli eve there ca n be no doubt that yo u ha ve p rej udged this i SSUl' a nd a rt' ccn scq ucm ly un able 10 ma ke a runona l a nd level -h eaded decision ba sed o n Ia crs pr ese-nted to tht' Com missi on . Your unproles ..io nal a nd amagon isri c beh avi or d u ri ng th e- CPSC's Jul y 25 Co nc ord. Xew Ha m pshire hea rin g was nOI on ly unbec oming o f a U.S. Gcvem me nr o fficia l, bUI ;, I!>() d ea r ly demous uu ted you ina bi li ty 1 Iisteu dis0 pa ssiona tely to evidence . The Ch ai rm an o f th e Co mmi .."io n bas stated ~'v er a l rimes tha t the CPSC is no where near ha \'ioR adequa te inf or m a tion o n which 10 mak e a dec isi o n . I ' con ri n ue 10 support the Co rn m i..sicn's iu vestiga no n a nd wil l ab ide by its de-ciai on if it ca n be -co nducted in an a tm osph ere of imparr ia lirv. How ever . I M'rioulloly doubt rhar a co u rt o f law co u ld fa il to co ns ide r th e rem a rks a nd att itude o f a Commissioner who has n s('m ia lly decided this issue without regard 10 the record whi ch m ;:IY be deve loped. Comm issioner Sta tler . I do n OI doubt yo u r sincerily a n d d esire 10 improv e th e in j urv record o f th e AT V. Neve rtheles s. yo ur ac tion s m a y jeopardize the ab ility of th e Commission to propose ;1II}' serious ..o lu non s, I. therefo re c:11I on yo u in Ihe na me o f fairness 1 recuse yourse lf from f luther ron side n u io n 0 o f the AT\' issu e. I a lso wi sh to remind yo u o f yo ur d uty to uphol d th e law a nd 1 ceas e d issemi na ting 0 pr('jud ici~ll a nd iml('CUrdle in formation rt'gard ing tht' Com mis!Oio n 's stance o n thh illoSlit', I a m also fully p rt'pared to p u rsue a ll Olhe r a vt'n ut'S to mak e sure that bo th Ih e spi r it and le ttt'r o f tilt' Sla tulory mandate: req u in:d of p ublic o Hicia ls such as yo ur sdf a rt' 1Ilt'1. LA RR Y E. CRAIG Ranking Minority Member Commerce, Consumer & Monetary Affairs Subcommittee U .S. H ouse o f Rep resenta tives Washington. DC 23

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