ACSA News
 The Omnibus Bill With the Omnibus Bill being 4,155 pages long, no one really knew what was included in the $1.7 Trillion Bill when it passed. Congressman Dan Bishop shared this summary. Expressly prohibited is Border Patrol funding from being used to improve border security. But the US will pay for border security in Middle East countries and $1.4 billion for membership in global organizations. $1,438,000,000 for membership in global multilateral organizations, including the UN The bill will spend $65 million on salmon. And millions for fisheries and more fish. And $65.7 million for international fisheries commissions $575 million for “family planning” in areas where population growth “threatens biodiversity.” And millions for buildings named after corrupt politicians. A few more earmarks: $477k for “antiracist” training from the Equity Institute $3 million for the LGBTQ+ museum in NYC $1.2 million in “services for DACA recipients” $4.1 million in various career programs for one of the richest counties in the US (Fairfax) $200 million in a gender equity fund $7.5 million to better understand the “domestic radicalization phenomenon,” plus $1 million for gun violence research. * Did you know that the House of Representatives has an Office of Diversity and Inclusion? It’s set to receive nearly $26 million in taxpayer dollars. !! To read the entire bill, you would need to read 4+ pages per minute, without a single break, for 16 hours straight. The bill will fund the government through September, 2023. Waters of the United States In the last days of 2022, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a brand-new water protection rule, one of the first of a new raft of Biden-era regulations that are expected to face a tough slog in the conservative-dominated courts in 2023 and beyond. The Biden administration’s definition of what constitutes a “water of the United States,” or WOTUS, comes as the Supreme Court is considering a case that has the potential to narrow the category of wetlands and streams that are subject to Clean Water Act permitting requirements. Many other regulations will be subject to litigation that could eventually make its way to a high court that has in recent months demonstrated increased skepticism of federal regulation. The Biden administration’s new definition of “waters of the United States” is the first of many environmental rules expected in the second half of the president’s term. Some of the rules could eventually be reviewed by a Supreme Court that is skeptical of federal regulation. Treasury Delays EV Tax Credit Stipulations The Treasury Department and IRS announced last week that they are delaying restrictions on which electric vehicles can be eligible for tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) slammed the guidance, marking his latest disagreement with the Biden administration. The law says that removing caps and adding new stipulations on the manufacturing and sourcing of minerals for electric vehicle batteries will take effect when the Treasury issues guidance for their implementation, which was supposed to happen “not later than December 31.” But the Treasury said that the guidance will not be ready until March and that in the meantime it will continue to use prior battery capacity requirements to determine if a vehicle can meet the credits. The stipulations in the Inflation Reduction Act were expected to create some new hurdles, requiring that at least 50% of the value of the battery components be manufactured or assembled in North America in order to be eligible for a $3,750 credit. Another $3,750 credit is available to electric vehicles if 40% of the value of the minerals contained in its battery are mined or processed in countries where the U.S. has a free trade agreement. In lieu of being mined or processed in such countries, the minerals could instead be recycled in North America to meet the second requirement. What does Manchin have to say? : “The Treasury Department has known since August that they needed to release proposed guidance on the battery material and components of the Clean Vehicle Credit that accurately follows the intent of the IRA by the end of this year. Instead, Treasury decided they will ignore this deadline and issue proposed guidance in March,” he said. “In the meantime, they have decided to move forward on implementing these credits without the necessary guidance to ensure taxpayer dollars are being responsibly used. This is an unacceptable outcome and I call on Treasury to pause the implementation of both commercial and new consumer EV tax credits until they have issued the appropriate guidance,” he added. Be Smart ~ Be Safe! With the snowmobile season being in full swing, take a minute to take the Pledge…..click this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s-9B2CmCAgc And Please… Be Smart. Know Before You Go!! Make It A Round Trip Forest Service and Wild Turkey Federation Cut A Deal to Remove Dead Trees A $50 million deal between the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Biden administration could help clear millions of dead trees from Western forests while saving a sawmill in Wyoming. The Forest Service and the hunting and conservation group are using a new 20-year stewardship contract to move timber from places that don’t have enough mills — such as California — to places where mills are having trouble finding enough wood, such as in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota. If the pilot program that’s part of the agreement is successful, it could be a model for ways the Forest Service balances timber supplies while addressing what many forest managers say is overly thick growth in forests prone to wildfire, said Tom Spezze, national director of field conservation and state policy for the NWTF. The federation works on conserving habitat for wild turkeys, which depend on healthy forests. Did You Know??? The new head of the Zero Emission Transportation Association comes in with a big name in climate change advocacy. The organization this week named Al Gore III to be its new executive director. Gore, 40, joins the advocacy group after six years of working in policy advocacy roles at Tesla Inc. and a year at SolarCity Corp. before its acquisition by Tesla. He is the youngest child of former Vice President Al Gore, an outspoken environmental champion. The group represents charging companies; electric utilities; companies involved in minerals important to EV production, including miners; and EV manufacturers, but only those that make solely electric vehicles. It advocates for rapid electrification of vehicles, with a goal for all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric. In Case You Missed This….. RAM 1500 Electric Vehicle On Thursday, company executives unveiled a concept version of the Ram 1500 Revolution battery-powered truck at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas. The production truck isn’t likely to be as edgy as the one shown on stage, which looks like a halfway point between Tesla’s angular Cybertruck and a conventional gas pickup. But the Ram EV, Koval said, will surpass competitors in the areas that customers value the most: payload, towing, range and technology. The Omnibus Bill With the Omnibus Bill being 4,155 pages long, no one really knew what was included in the $1.7 Trillion Bill when it passed. Congressman Dan Bishop shared this summary. Expressly prohibited is Border Patrol funding from being used to improve border security. But the US will pay for border security in Middle East countries and $1.4 billion for membership in global organizations. $1,438,000,000 for membership in global multilateral organizations, including the UN The bill will spend $65 million on salmon. And millions for fisheries and more fish. And $65.7 million for international fisheries commissions $575 million for “family planning” in areas where population growth “threatens biodiversity.” And millions for buildings named after corrupt politicians. A few more earmarks: $477k for “antiracist” training from the Equity Institute $3 million for the LGBTQ+ museum in NYC $1.2 million in “services for DACA recipients” $4.1 million in various career programs for one of the richest counties in the US (Fairfax) $200 million in a gender equity fund $7.5 million to better understand the “domestic radicalization phenomenon,” plus $1 million for gun violence research. * Did you know that the House of Representatives has an Office of Diversity and Inclusion? It’s set to receive nearly $26 million in taxpayer dollars. !! To read the entire bill, you would need to read 4+ pages per minute, without a single break, for 16 hours straight. The bill will fund the government through September, 2023. Waters of the United States In the last days of 2022, EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers issued a brand-new water protection rule, one of the first of a new raft of Biden-era regulations that are expected to face a tough slog in the conservative-dominated courts in 2023 and beyond. The Biden administration’s definition of what constitutes a “water of the United States,” or WOTUS, comes as the Supreme Court is considering a case that has the potential to narrow the category of wetlands and streams that are subject to Clean Water Act permitting requirements. Many other regulations will be subject to litigation that could eventually make its way to a high court that has in recent months demonstrated increased skepticism of federal regulation. The Biden administration’s new definition of “waters of the United States” is the first of many environmental rules expected in the second half of the president’s term. Some of the rules could eventually be reviewed by a Supreme Court that is skeptical of federal regulation. Treasury Delays EV Tax Credit Stipulations The Treasury Department and IRS announced last week that they are delaying restrictions on which electric vehicles can be eligible for tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) slammed the guidance, marking his latest disagreement with the Biden administration. The law says that removing caps and adding new stipulations on the manufacturing and sourcing of minerals for electric vehicle batteries will take effect when the Treasury issues guidance for their implementation, which was supposed to happen “not later than December 31.” But the Treasury said that the guidance will not be ready until March and that in the meantime it will continue to use prior battery capacity requirements to determine if a vehicle can meet the credits. The stipulations in the Inflation Reduction Act were expected to create some new hurdles, requiring that at least 50% of the value of the battery components be manufactured or assembled in North America in order to be eligible for a $3,750 credit. Another $3,750 credit is available to electric vehicles if 40% of the value of the minerals contained in its battery are mined or processed in countries where the U.S. has a free trade agreement. In lieu of being mined or processed in such countries, the minerals could instead be recycled in North America to meet the second requirement. What does Manchin have to say? : “The Treasury Department has known since August that they needed to release proposed guidance on the battery material and components of the Clean Vehicle Credit that accurately follows the intent of the IRA by the end of this year. Instead, Treasury decided they will ignore this deadline and issue proposed guidance in March,” he said. “In the meantime, they have decided to move forward on implementing these credits without the necessary guidance to ensure taxpayer dollars are being responsibly used. This is an unacceptable outcome and I call on Treasury to pause the implementation of both commercial and new consumer EV tax credits until they have issued the appropriate guidance,” he added. Be Smart ~ Be Safe! With the snowmobile season being in full swing, take a minute to take the Pledge…..click this link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s-9B2CmCAgc And Please… Be Smart. Know Before You Go!! Make It A Round Trip Forest Service and Wild Turkey Federation Cut A Deal to Remove Dead Trees A $50 million deal between the National Wild Turkey Federation and the Biden administration could help clear millions of dead trees from Western forests while saving a sawmill in Wyoming. The Forest Service and the hunting and conservation group are using a new 20-year stewardship contract to move timber from places that don’t have enough mills — such as California — to places where mills are having trouble finding enough wood, such as in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota. If the pilot program that’s part of the agreement is successful, it could be a model for ways the Forest Service balances timber supplies while addressing what many forest managers say is overly thick growth in forests prone to wildfire, said Tom Spezze, national director of field conservation and state policy for the NWTF. The federation works on conserving habitat for wild turkeys, which depend on healthy forests. Did You Know??? The new head of the Zero Emission Transportation Association comes in with a big name in climate change advocacy. The organization this week named Al Gore III to be its new executive director. Gore, 40, joins the advocacy group after six years of working in policy advocacy roles at Tesla Inc. and a year at SolarCity Corp. before its acquisition by Tesla. He is the youngest child of former Vice President Al Gore, an outspoken environmental champion. The group represents charging companies; electric utilities; companies involved in minerals important to EV production, including miners; and EV manufacturers, but only those that make solely electric vehicles. It advocates for rapid electrification of vehicles, with a goal for all new vehicles sold by 2030 to be electric. In Case You Missed This… RAM 1500 Electric Vehicle On Thursday, company executives unveiled a concept version of the Ram 1500 Revolution battery-powered truck at the CES gadget show in Las Vegas. The production truck isn’t likely to be as edgy as the one shown on stage, which looks like a halfway point between Tesla’s angular Cybertruck and a conventional gas pickup. But the Ram EV, Koval said, will surpass competitors in the areas that customers value the most: payload, towing, range and technology. The Gift that Keeps On Giving! Get Your 2023 Calendars Now! Great Christmas Gifts!! 365 Chances to Win ~~ Only $20 each Call your State Snowmobile Association or the ACSA office! Join in the Fun!! The leadership of the ACSA Trails Riding Region and the Mountain Riding Region are mixing up some riding fun with meetings. We would love to have you join! The Trails Region will be holding their meetings and rides in Watersmeet, MI February 3-5. Make your reservations at the Northern Waters Resort and Casino – 906-358-4949 and ask for the ACSA Room Block for rates of $109/Thursday and $129/Friday and Saturday. The Mountain Region will be in Alpine, WY at the Flying Saddle Resort and will be Friday, February 24 and the rides will be Thursday, February 23 and Saturday, February 25 Reservations can be made by calling 307-654-4422 and ask for the room block ACSA23 for the room rates starting at $129/night. Upcoming Events January 14-22 International Snowmobile Safety Week January 24 MnUSA Veterans Appreciation Ride January 26 – 28 Indiana Snowmobile Ride In, Brimley, MI February 2 – 7 Trans-Montana Ride February 7-11 OSSA Convention in La Grande, Oregon February 3-5 ACSA Trails Region Ride/Meeting Watersmeet, MI February 22-26 ACSA Mountain Region Ride/Meeting Alpine, WY GET SOCIAL WITH US! Follow us on Facebook Click Here P.O. Box 1670, Brighton, MI 48116 (517) 351-4362 | Email     |