Latest news with #U.S.DepartmentofTransportation
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
USDOT offering $5.4 billion for bridge funding, but strikes diversity requirements
By David Shepardson (Reuters) -The U.S. government will make available $5.4 billion in grant funding for building, replacing or repairing bridges across the country under a 2021 infrastructure law, but is striking diversity requirements, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Monday. USDOT said it was removing climate change, environmental justice and diversity, equity and inclusion from grant application requirements for bridges from the funding approved in 2021 under a $1-trillion infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden. Last week, USDOT said separately it would end consideration of race or gender when awarding billions of dollars in federal highway and transit project funding set aside for disadvantaged small businesses. In April, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said states could lose transportation funding over a failure to cooperate on federal immigration enforcement efforts or for maintaining DEI programs. Trump issued an executive order seeking to ban DEI programs in January. Under Biden, bridge grant applicants had to address climate change impacts and detail how proposed projects reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the transportation sector and lifecycle emissions from the project materials, USDOT said on Monday. Another requirement called for addressing how projects would create good-paying jobs with the free choice to join a union and how projects would promote local inclusive economic development and entrepreneurship such as Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, minority-owned business or women-owned business programs. A Kentucky judge ruled in September that a federal program enacted in 1983 - the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program - violated the U.S. Constitution's equal protection guarantees. The program treats businesses owned by racial minorities and women as presumptively disadvantaged, making them eligible for funding. The program was reauthorized in 2021 through the infrastructure law that set aside more than $37 billion for that purpose.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Orchard Park High School creates car crash simulation before prom
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (WIVB) — An annual demonstration of a simulated car crash was held at Orchard Park High School Friday morning to warn students about the dangers of driving while intoxicated after prom. 'The message we want students to take from this is to make memories, and to make good memories, to make good decisions that go along with those memories, and realize that every single choice that they make in life can have consequences, good and bad,' said Chief Patrick Fitzgerald. Though the demonstration is fake, the lessons learned are real. 'Don't drink and drive, don't commit these crimes,' said senior Juliana Place. 'Be careful, think before you act, understand that these are very heavy metal machines that can, and will kill you, if you are not careful.' Nearly 35 people a day die in the country in drunk-driving crashes, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Thirty percent of drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 who died in car crashes in 2023 had a Blood Alcohol Content of .01 or higher. The school has partnered with first responders for more than twenty years to hold this demonstration. 'It's super impactful, every year we get a good amount of kids that say they were really influenced by it in a good way,' said Amanda Mohler, a social worker at the school that planned the event. 'I feel like a lot of kids think they're invincible and they're untouchable at times, and it's important to know that there are consequences. Just because you think you're driving safe doesn't mean the next person behind you might be.' Months go into planning the event. High school students created a storyline and a video of the events leading up to the crash, and then the consequences. This year they named the project an acronym of 'P.R.O.M.' 'Prom stands for 'Please Return on Monday, so with this idea in mind, our message is just really be responsible,' said senior Maddy Shurtliffe. Hope Winter is a reporter and multimedia journalist who has been part of the News 4 team since 2021. See more of her work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Automotive
- USA Today
Counterfeit automotive parts pour into US and can be a 'direct risk to safety'
Counterfeit automotive parts pour into US and can be a 'direct risk to safety' Show Caption Hide Caption Trump's auto tariffs to hit $460 billion of US vehicle, parts imports As Donald Trump's 25% tariff on U.S. auto imports kicks in, the levies look set to upend the industry. A Reuters calculation shows the duties will hit some $460 billion worth of cars and parts every year. The U.S. president says that will create jobs and boost the economy. Counterfeit auto parts, especially air bags, are a concern among vehicle manufacturers, law enforcement. Majority of counterfeit auto parts are bought online, may be cheaper than genuine parts, says president of Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council. Every part of your vehicle could be counterfeited. A counterfeit part could cause performance issues or, worse, even be fatal. "Counterfeit parts are more than just a failure in quality: They are a direct risk to safety, where shortcuts in integrity can threaten lives," said Bob Stewart, president of the Automotive Anti-Counterfeiting Council, an alliance of nearly a dozen North American vehicle manufacturers. The group indicated it's not possible to know how many vehicles on the road contain counterfeit parts. But the increasing circulation of these parts is a growing concern among federal officials and automakers. The U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a safety advisory notice in mid-January to the public, repair professionals and used car buyers and owners about the rise in counterfeit and substandard safety devices, such as air bags and other supplemental restraint system components. It indicated that counterfeit parts may contain unapproved explosive charges and construction material and "can cause serious injury or even death in a crash." Rapid growth in fake parts seized Ivan Arvelo, director of the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center, said in a September news release that the "rise in counterfeit automotive parts and equipment continue to be an alarming upward trend." U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized more than 211,000 counterfeit automotive parts in fiscal 2024, nearly doubling the number of counterfeit parts seized the previous year. That included more than 490 counterfeit air bags — more than 10 times the number of such devices seized in fiscal 2023, according to the September release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It said Homeland Security had about 40 open investigations into counterfeit automotive parts. Auto parts shortage: Car repair costs set to surge as inventory drops and tariffs take effect In fiscal year 2023, the ICE release added, federal authorities seized about 20,000 shipments containing goods that violated intellectual property rights, equating to nearly 23 million counterfeit items — more than $2.75 billion worth had they been genuine parts. Out of those shipments, almost 100,000 items were counterfeit automotive goods with a manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $10 million. "We truly believe that the numbers are greater than what they report because they only know what they see," said Stewart, who is the global brand protection manager at General Motors. "This is an illicit trade, so by nature, it's in the black market, so you really don't know what you're up against." The anti-counterfeiting council's website — which contains a counterfeit parts infographic and video showing tests run on counterfeit and genuine parts — indicates that counterfeit auto parts entering the U.S. have an estimated value of more than $3 billion a year, according to findings from the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. In July, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urged used vehicle buyers and owners to be aware of "cheap, substandard replacement airbag inflators that can cause death or serious injury in a crash." Demand is high for air bags because defective Takata devices are under the largest automotive recall in U.S. history, requiring years of work to replace 67 million of the safety devices. In the last year, NHTSA said in a release, three people were killed and two others suffered life-altering, disfiguring injuries because of faulty replacement air bag inflators, which contain an explosive charge to trigger air bag inflation. In all five cases, it indicated, the vehicles had been involved in a crash, and their original equipment air bags were replaced with defective, substandard inflators, in most cases confirmed to have been manufactured overseas. CARFAX data released the same month indicated that nearly 2 million vehicles were on the road after they were involved in a crash where an air bag deployed during the last two years. Each of those vehicles, according to a release, "represents an opportunity for a scammer to install a counterfeit airbag as a replacement." Although instances of counterfeit air bags being installed "are believed to be rare," according to the release, officials with law enforcement and NHTSA said there was no way to know how many counterfeit air bags are being put into vehicles. Thirty-eight states have counterfeit air bag laws, according to the anti-counterfeiting council. Counterfeit parts can bring criminal charges Locally, a Macomb County man was arraigned in April, accused by the Michigan Attorney General's Office of selling counterfeit restraint systems, including air bags, on his eBay store. Dinas Kamaitis, 31, of New Baltimore, is facing nine felony charges related to counterfeit automotive parts, with a July probable cause conference set in 37th District Court in Warren. His attorney did not return messages seeking comment. A warrant charged Kamaitis with offering to deliver, display, advertise or possess with intent to deliver counterfeit parts from a half-dozen automakers in crimes Feb. 19-20. The counterfeit items listed in the warrant are: Stellantis grilles, bumpers and logos; Chevrolet and Ford bumpers, and GM, Honda, Subaru and Chevrolet air bags bearing or identified by a counterfeit mark. More than $600,000 was seized from bank accounts associated with Kamaitis in the first set of charges brought by the AG Office's newly expanded Auto Fraud Task Force. AG spokesman Danny Wimmer in April declined to say how many counterfeit items Kamaitis was suspected of selling, to whom and for how long, where Kamaitis got the items and how much he sold them for. Tennessee case leads to federal prison sentence In April, a federal judge in Tennessee sentenced a Memphis man to two years in federal prison for trafficking in counterfeit vehicle air bags, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office there. Federal prosecutors said that from 2017-21 the retired auto mechanic imported counterfeit vehicle air bag parts from China and assembled them to make counterfeit air bags. He sold the fake air bags on eBay to unsuspecting vehicle repair shops and individual customers for $100-$725 each, they indicated. Federal authorities intercepted a shipment of counterfeit air bag parts that he ordered, according to the release. They recovered more than 2,000 counterfeit air bag parts and counterfeit air bags at the man's home and business. Federal prosecutors indicated he sold more than 500 counterfeit air bags during the four years and shipped at least one counterfeit air bag by airplane without declaring it as an explosive device or dangerous good so that mandatory federal safety precautions could be taken. 'They'll counterfeit anything' Stewart said most counterfeit auto parts are coming from Asia, including China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. 'The one thing you have to keep in mind with counterfeits, is the bad actors are opportunistic," he said, "so they will do whatever they can to continue to push their products." Stewart said the majority of counterfeit auto part purchasing is done online, with a large uptick since the COVID-19 pandemic. In some cases, he said, the counterfeit parts are cheaper than genuine ones, but they could be comparably priced so consumers don't question why they are so inexpensive. Stewart said the products have been purchased on several large marketplace platforms, and the anti-counterfeiting alliance talks regularly with eBay and Meta, as well as smaller platforms, such as Temu, to advocate enforcing policies against counterfeit parts. Counterfeit air bags are one of the biggest concerns, safety-wise, but there are other maintenance parts that are counterfeited, including spark plugs, fuel injectors and key fobs. "They'll counterfeit anything," Stewart said. "Tire pressure sensors, backup sensors, anything. We see it all." He said many counterfeit parts are sent in small parcels, which are lighter, easier and cheaper to ship. Stewart says his group has tested about 20 counterfeit air bags "and every one of them has had significant performance issues," such as coming out slow and not being in position by the time they were supposed to be. He said a lot of genuine spark plugs have iridium on the tips and the point. In the counterfeits, he said, that element missing on one side, instead having a piece of soft metal made to look like iridium. Complaints online, he said, indicate the spark plugs last only 5,000 miles when they should last 100,000 miles. What can consumers do? Stewart recommends buying from a reputable place, including directly from dealers or distributors or large chain auto parts retailers. Also, look into the seller and where the seller is located if you are buying online or confirm the reliability of the source of the parts or the repair shop providing them. Request receipts for parts used in repairs. "Don't be misled," Stewart said, adding that counterfeiters use drop-ship facilities. He said a seller may be in China or elsewhere and ship to U.S. warehouses, which handle distribution. The seller may indicate they are selling from the United States when they are not. The council advises consulting with the manufacturer's dealer or a trusted mechanic. It indicates that repair shops also should research to ensure they're using reputable supply chains, so they don't get counterfeit parts. Consumers are advised to get a vehicle history report before buying a used vehicle or if they bought a used vehicle and don't know its history, according to NHTSA. If the vehicle was in a crash where the air bag deployed, they should go to a reputable independent mechanic or dealership for an air bag inspection to make sure the replacement parts are genuine and meet original equipment manufacturer specifications. If buying from a private seller, NHTSA recommends getting a vehicle history report and having the vehicle inspected by a trusted mechanic. Consumers can contact law enforcement if they suspect they have a counterfeit auto part. They also can turn to the auto manufacturer, the original equipment manufacturer, the anti-counterfeiting council, NHTSA or the National Intellectual Property Rights Coordination Center. Contact Christina Hall: chall@ Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the Free Press. Submit a letter to the editor at
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
DOT's deregulation barrage raises compliance concerns for trucking
WASHINGTON — The axing of dozens of regulations this week by the U.S. Department of Transportation has raised concerns from trucking industry experts concerned about compliance and safety. While the majority of the 52 deregulatory actions affecting the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Highway Administration provide 60-day comment periods to allow for public protest, most if not all will likely be taken off the books. 'Big government has been a big failure,' said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, commenting on the changes in a press statement on Thursday. 'Under President Trump's leadership, my department is slashing duplicative and outdated regulations that are unnecessarily burdensome, waste taxpayer dollars, and fail to ensure safety. These are common sense changes that will help us build a more efficient government that better reflects the needs of the American people.' Of the 20 actions taken at FMCSA, two are final rules and 18 are proposed rules that would either amend or rescind current regulations. P. Sean Garney, a trucking regulatory expert and co-director at Scopelitis Transportation Consulting, singled out several of FMCSA's deregulatory actions for potential compliance issues. For example, while Garney considers reasonable a proposal to eliminate a requirement that truck drivers keep a hard copy of the truck's electronic logging device user manual on board, 'what's a little tricky and what carriers will need to take note of if these are finalized as written is that it only applies to the user manual,' he told FreightWaves in an email. 'Drivers are still required to carry (or store electronically) the instructions for how to transfer data at roadside and the instruction sheet for how to deal with a malfunction, not to mention blank logs. It'll be important for motor carriers to make sure drivers have access to it either way. It's like your car user manual, you don't need it until you need it.' FMCSA also proposes revising a requirement that motor carriers and intermodal equipment providers sign and return a completed roadside inspection form to their issuing state agency. Because not all states require that they be returned, FMCSA wants the form-return requirement to apply only to carriers obligated to do so by their state – and that could be a problem, Garney cautioned. 'While many states do not require these inspection reports to be signed and returned … others still require them,' he said. 'If removing the requirement is the best course of action, I wish FMCSA would have pulled the trigger for all states, rather than leave us guessing on who requires it be returned and who doesn't. Figuring this out and adhering to it is a burden.' FMCSA's proposal to rescind a manufacture certification label requirement for rear impact guards on truck trailers has a potential enforcement issue lurking, according to Garney. Motor carriers have balked at the requirement because the labels can become worn and illegible. 'What's interesting about this one is that this notice is just half the story,' he said. 'Removing this from [FMCSA's regulations] will help out carriers at roadside as inspectors won't be able to write the violation … but the requirement still lives in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, which are controlled by NHTSA.' In the event of a failure of a rear guard that has a worn label, 'who will be left holding the bag? Who's in charge here?' The list of deregulatory actions at FMCSA has raised red flags at the Truck Safety Coalition, which advocates for truck crash victims and their families. 'Certainly time has rendered some regulations obsolete,' acknowledged TSC Executive Director Zach Cahalan in an email to FreightWaves. However, 'TSC remains concerned FMCSA is rushing to fulfill campaign pledges and failing to uphold its historically high burden to prove any deregulatory changes will not adversely impact safety.' As an example, Cahalan pointed to FMCSA's proposal to rescind a regulation requiring retroreflective sheeting on semitrailers and trailers (which improves their visibility at night) manufactured before 1993. 'FMCSA declares 'it believes' trailers manufactured prior to 1993 are not in use, but fails to quantify this assertion in any way, shape, or form,' he said. Regarding eliminating the ELD manual requirement, 'it's probably a good idea to keep ELD manuals in rigs as there is no reason to believe all drivers receive sufficient training in their use and operation, something our victims can tragically attest to.' He emphasized that driver fatigue – which the ELD mandate is supposed to help address – 'remains a chronic problem in the industry and is frequently cited by the NTSB as a contributor in most truck crashes.' DOT takes heat for drug testing certification delays Lawmakers look at expanding FMCSA's power to rein in cargo theft Trump's NHTSA nominee raises concerns among truck safety advocates Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher. The post DOT's deregulation barrage raises compliance concerns for trucking appeared first on FreightWaves.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge blocks Trump administration efforts to stop NYC congestion pricing
NEW YORK — A Manhattan federal judge has blocked the federal government from ending congestion pricing before the end of an ongoing lawsuit — issuing a preliminary injunction against Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and the U.S. Department of Transportation on Wednesday. The order, issued by Judge Lewis Liman, comes one day after he issued a temporary restraining order in the case, blocking any such action for two weeks. The injunction indefinitely prevents Duffy or his agency from acting on their claims that they can unilaterally revoke an authorization toll — and blocks any of the so-called 'compliance actions' Duffy has threatened — until Liman rules on the legality of USDOT's efforts to end the congestion pricing program. 'For the avoidance of doubt, (Duffy and the USDOT) are enjoined from taking any of the'compliance measures' ... including withholding federal funds, approvals, or authorizations from New York state or local agencies to enforce compliance with or implement .. (their) purported termination of the Tolling Program,' the 109-page order concludes. Speaking to reporters shortly after the order was filed Paige Graves, MTA's general counsel, said she hadn't yet read the injunction in full. 'I have not looked at the details of his decision, but it's positive news,' Graves said. The congestion toll first began in January — a requirement of New York state's 2019 Traffic Mobility Act, meant to both reduce congestion and back $15 billion in bonds toward specific MTA projects. Duffy first claimed the authority to unilaterally end the toll weeks later, in February. When the MTA sued, Duffy gave Gov. Kathy Hochul a March 21 deadline to end the toll. Duffy then extended the deadline to April 20, then to May 21. As the toll remained in place on May 21, Duffy — in a letter to Hochul — threatened to withhold federal funds for any highway project in Manhattan, refuse to approve Manhattan projects under the National Environmental Policy Act, and refuse to greenlight any funding amendments from the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council — unless Hochul ended the toll. In issuing Tuesday's restraining order, Liman said New York stood to suffer irreparable harms from the feds' demands, including the 'delay of numerous public works projects,' 'harm to the bond market' and the 'undermining (of) the authority of a sovereign state' that had democratically passed the law requiring the toll. _____
