HALTING ILLEGAL ACTIVITY

unregulated and untaxed economic activity with unli- censed auto dismantlers. He listened to SCADA members’ concerns about the unfair competition that they face and is scheduling a time when SCADA can provide more detailed information to his staff. “The decline in registered licensed recyclers is dis- proportionate to the growth in the number of end-of- life vehicles in our state and that’s a problem,” said Horton. “SCADA representatives have presented a plan to address the problem of unlicensed disman- tlers. Working with recyclers is fundamentally impor- tant to the environment and our economy. Ultimately it’s not about a press release announcing a couple of busts – it’s about understanding the problem, docu- menting the activity, and making the institutional changes necessary to eliminate it.”

Cowell says that although progress is being made it will take time. “The agency leadership that we have met with to date understands the seriousness and the extent of the problem,” said Cowell. “Government entities work very slowly, though, and the process involved in revising tax codes and envi- ronmental and other regulation to reflect two decades of changes in commerce is cumbersome at best.

“It’s taken a huge effort to get to this point and the future is uncertain. As an industry, legitimate busi- nesses are going under in increasing numbers or are going underground themselves. SCADA’s future is uncertain both financially and in terms of future volunteer leaders.”

With this in mind, Cowell encourages other recy- clers to join in the effort to protect the industry. “Many of ARA’s affiliated state and provincial asso- ciations have active government relations programs that know how important it is to build and nurture relationships with policy makers,” said Cowell. “For those who don’t already have a foundation in place, it may already be too late,” she warns. “When the industry is successful in one location it helps the industry as a whole; unfortunately, it is also true that when we lose a battle locally it is a step backward for everyone. “We need to work together with ARA to expand the contents of our ‘toolboxes’ so that we have cur- rent industry statistics and other useful data, a national public relations campaign, and relationships with the environmental community at the national and international level.”

48 Automotive Recycling | January-February 2015