Opinion ID: 426343
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Labelling and Identification of Certified Parts

Text: 74 MVMA claims that the regulations provide inadequate procedures for identifying the manufacturers of defective certified parts. EPA faced a difficult balancing task when it set forth labelling requirements for certified parts. On the one hand, if labelling requirements are too intricate and costly, small parts manufacturers may not be able to afford to certify. On the other hand, unless the manufacturer of a given part can be identified from the label, vehicle manufacturers may be unable to determine which company manufactured a defective part and thus may never recover their reimbursable expenses. 75 Although EPA properly was concerned about the labelling costs for small parts manufacturers, MVMA claims that the agency refused to adopt inexpensive procedures that would facilitate identification of a parts manufacturer. First, MVMA challenges EPA's failure to require that an identification symbol be permanent. EPA concedes that the symbols should be permanent, but contends that any vehicle manufacturer that believes a label is not sufficiently durable may object to the certification of that part. Such a procedure would require vehicle manufacturers to review every notice of intent to certify a part that is filed with EPA. If EPA is setting forth detailed labelling requirements as a condition of certification, it makes no sense to leave out the one requirement that would make the labelling effective: a guarantee that the label will be durable. The agency should not place the burden on vehicle manufacturers to check every notice of intent to certify a part when the agency itself concedes that the labels should be permanent. Because EPA concedes that a symbol should be durable, its failure to impose such a requirement cannot pass muster. 76 MVMA's second claim is that the agency failed to require that the same or similar symbols be used by only one manufacturer to ensure identification of the appropriate parts manufacturer. EPA concedes that such a requirement makes sense in light of the purposes of the labelling requirement, but claims that the issue was not raised during the rulemaking proceeding and is therefore not properly before this court. We agree. Section 307(d)(7)(B) of the Act precludes this court from considering objections to rules or procedures if they were not raised in a timely manner before the agency. 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7607(d)(7)(B). Because MVMA concedes that it did not challenge EPA's failure to prevent the use of similar identification symbols during the comment period, we lack jurisdiction to consider its claim.