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Lawsuit Related to Hazardous Auto Body Repair Waste Settled in CA Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton announced July 30 that her office, with 14 other District Attorney’s Offices in California, settled an environmental protection action against Cooks Collision, Inc. The settlement was based on violations of the storage and disposal of hazardous materials and hazardous wastes. The action was filed in Sacramento County. Cooks Collision, Inc. is an automotive and auto body repair shop
that operates 38 facilities throughout California. In the ordinary course of business, Cooks Collision, Inc. stores hazardous materials and generates hazardous wastes. Inspections by the Sacramento County Environmental Management Department found that certain Cooks Collison facilities in Sacramento County were out of compliance with the hazardous materials and hazardous waste laws. District Attorney investigators from See Auto Body Repair Waste, Page 16
Discussion at CIC Highlights Dramatic Changes Coming to the Industry by John Yoswick
Michael Simon, director of strategic accounts for Bosch Automotive, is the latest to remind the industry that the absence of any dash warning lights doesn’t mean a vehicle doesn’t need to be scanned. “And the diagnostic codes do not point to a repair, only a symptom,” Simon said at the Collision Industry Conference (CIC) in Atlanta in August. “If a doctor takes your blood pressure and your blood pressure is high, what does that mean? He’s got to figure out if it’s hyper-
tension, is it stress in life, or what’s going on. It’s the same thing with codes. What does that code mean? It says something isn’t working right, but it still requires you to diagnose.” In his presentation at CIC, Simon made it clear that he was speaking personally rather than as a representative of Bosch. He said the advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) in new vehicles today are part of the automakers’ learning mode on the road to autonomous vehicles. “This is the start of the biggest economic and social shift of the last See Discussion at CIC, Page 22
AUTOBODYNEWS.COM
Vol. 36 / Issue 9 / September 2018
Industry Veteran Gene Lopez Presents at BAR Advisory Group Meeting in CA
collision repair industry, Lopez is currently the Co-Chairman of Education Gene Lopez, director of de& Training for the Collision velopment and training at Industry Conference and the California Autobody AssociSeidner’s Collision Centers, made a presentation on July ation. He is also a Co-Chair 12 at a Bureau of Automofor the National Auto Body tive Repair (BAR) Advisory Council’s Distracted Driver Group Meeting in SacraInitiative. After being invited by mento titled “New Vehicle Gene Lopez, Technology and OEM Po- director of develop- BAR Chief Pat Dorais to ment and training at speak, Lopez stated that sition Statements.” As a former member of Seidner’s Collision current California Code of Centers, made a Regulations 3303 and 3365 the I-CAR Field Operations presentation in July team, where he was a Re- titled “New Vehicle are outdated and don’t support late model vehicles, but gional and National Field Technology and OEM Position an interpretation from the Operations Manager for Statements” at a BAR could reveal the need seven years, Lopez often BAR Advisory to recognize today’s technospeaks at BAR’s quarterly Group Meeting logically advanced vehicles. meetings about industry “Some collision repairers betrends, training programs and repair procedures. A 25-year veteran of the See Gene Lopez Presents, Page 18 by Ed Attanasio
U.S. Sen. Doug Jones Says He’s Hoping to Halt Proposed Auto Tariffs by William Thornton, AL.com
On July 18, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones said he and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) are working to craft a “solution” to proposed tariffs on imported automobiles, which they say could negatively impact U.S. jobs. “We hope to introduce that proposal as early as next week, after consulting with our automotive manufacturers and working with our colleagues to grow bipartisan support for this legislation,” Jones said in remarks on the Senate floor in Washington. “I realize that folks affected by these proposed tariffs are looking for a silver bullet to stop them dead in their tracks. Right now, the only silver bullet in this case is for the President to change his mind and recognize how many jobs are at risk because of these proposed tariffs. Until that hap-
pens, we’re going to fight to protect what our states and our workers have earned.” Jones’ comments occurred as segments of the auto industry are converging on the nation’s capital to lobby against the proposed tariffs. The push is coming at the same time the Commerce Department has two days of hearings scheduled on the tariff issue. In May, President Donald Trump directed the Commerce Department to begin an investigation into whether imported vehicles and auto parts constitute a national security threat. The administration is reportedly considering a 20 to 25 percent tariff on imported vehicles. More than 2,300 comments were collected during the investigation period. Segments of the auto industry, as well as Jones, Sen. Richard Shelby See Hearings on Tariffs, Page 14
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