New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to extend the deadline for scrap metal facilities to properly process vehicles processed through the Car Allowance Rebate System (commonly known as Cash for Clunkers).
In a letter sent to the NHTSA, Gillibrand requested that the deadline be extended an additional 90 days from the 6-month deadline originally established. According to the original timeline, vehicles would have to be scrapped before May to comply with the program.
In a letter to Ronald Medford, Acting Deputy Administrator for NHTSA, Senator Gillibrand wrote, “The spirit of the CARS program was to help the environment while at the same time creating jobs and rejuvenating the automotive industry in this country. These scrap yards simply need more time to process these old cars, so they can harvest a higher percentage of the salvageable parts. This recycling process is environmentally friendly and good for the economy. While helping the part sales industry, it will also save car owners money by supplying them with used parts at a fraction of the cost of new parts.”