49 U.S.C. § 32304A — Consumer tire information and standards

(a) Consumer tire information. (1) Within 24 months after the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act became law, the Secretary of Transportation had to write rules, after taking public comment, creating a national tire fuel-efficiency information program for replacement tires. The goal is to teach consumers how tires affect a car's fuel efficiency, safety, and durability. (2) The rulemaking had to include: (A) a national rating system for replacement tire fuel efficiency, to help consumers choose tires; (B) rules for giving consumers information, including at the point of sale and through other channels like the Internet; (C) test-method specifications for manufacturers, so results don't vary between test equipment or companies; and (D) a national tire-maintenance education program covering tire pressure, alignment, rotation, and tread wear, aimed at maximizing fuel efficiency, safety, and durability. (3) This subsection only applies to replacement tires that were already covered by the federal safety rule at 49 CFR 575.104(c) when the Ten-in-Ten Fuel Economy Act was enacted. (b) Promulgation of regulations for tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards. (1) After consulting the Secretary of Energy and the EPA Administrator, the Secretary must write minimum tire fuel-efficiency performance standards, in two groups: (A) passenger car tires rated for 149 miles per hour (240 km/h) or less; and (B) passenger car tires rated faster than that. (2)(A) These standards must be measured using the rolling resistance coefficient test described in 49 CFR 575.106, as it existed when this law was enacted. (B) The Secretary must make sure the standards don't unfairly burden high-performance tires rated above 149 mph / 240 km/h. (C) This part covers new tires made for passenger cars. It does not cover light-truck tires, deep-tread tires, winter snow tires, space-saver or temporary spare tires, or tires with a rim diameter of 12 inches or less. (c) Promulgation of regulations for tire wet traction minimum performance standards. (1) The Secretary must also write minimum wet-traction performance standards, so that improving fuel efficiency doesn't come at the cost of a tire's grip in the rain. (2)(A) These standards are measured using the peak coefficient of friction. (B) Any test procedure for wet traction must line up with the fuel-efficiency test procedure from subsection (a). (C) The Secretary must test the wet-traction performance of tires already sold in the U.S. when this law was enacted, to make sure the new standards fit both U.S. tires and U.S. drivers' needs. (D) This part covers only new passenger car tires, with the same exceptions listed in subsection (b): no light-truck, deep-tread, winter, spare, or small-rim tires. (d) Coordination among regulations. (1) The Secretary must make sure the test procedures and requirements from subsections (a), (b), and (c) work together and don't contradict each other. (2) The Secretary must check that meeting the fuel-efficiency standards in (b) won't reduce the wet-traction performance required in (c). (3) The Secretary must finish the (b) and (c) regulations within 24 months of this law's enactment, and must finish (c) no later than (b). (e) Consultation. The Secretary must consult the Secretary of Energy and the EPA Administrator on how best to give consumers tire fuel-efficiency information. (f) Report to Congress. The Secretary must regularly check how useful these rules are to consumers, how well industry is cooperating, and how much they help the country's energy-saving goals, and must send periodic reports on these findings to the Senate Commerce Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. (g) Tire marking. The Secretary cannot require a permanent fuel-efficiency label to be marked directly on a tire. (h) Application with State and local laws and regulations. This section doesn't stop a state or local government from enforcing a tire fuel-efficiency information law that was already in effect on January 1, 2006. Once a federal rule under this section takes effect, a state or local government may only adopt or enforce a tire fuel-efficiency information law passed after January 1, 2006, if it is identical to the federal rule. But nothing here stops a state or local government from regulating tire fuel efficiency itself — including setting its own test methods — as long as that regulation isn't otherwise preempted elsewhere in this chapter.