Anyone interested in vintage cars needs to pay attention right now. There are things going on in Washington that have dire implications on the classic car hobby that you need to be aware of. I made my argument against the Cash for Clunkers plan in my previous post and attempted to shed light on the actions being taken by some politicians that shall be named! Although the plan has not yet passed, it is gaining some ground and before anything happens you need to be informed. Hit the jump.

Under a new plan introduced by California Senator Dianne Feinstein, Maine Senator Susan Collins and New York Senator Charles Schumer, a bill is being proposed that would offer cash incentives for those that crush their older and fuel inefficient cars. The plan calls for government vouchers of $4,500 dollars for every car that qualifies to be given to the owner towards a new car purchase in hopes of reducing emissions and boosting sagging car sales. Any late model car that gets less than 18 miles per gallon qualifies for the program.

Arguably the plan has good intentions but fails to take several things into account. Firstly, car parts makers are upset at this proposal as it would effectively remove more than half a million potential aftermarket customers. Many proponents cite the success of a similar green program in Germany that has indeed removed thousands of older vehicles. But what they don’t tell you is that after factoring the amount of CO2 it takes to crush the old cars and produce the new ones, the environment’s not much better off. Likewise, politicians on Capitol Hill argue that the scope of the proposed “Accelerated Retirement of Inefficient Vehicles Act of 2009″ is far too narrow and public participation will be next to nothing. Critics go further in saying that the estimated 575,000 cars that would be taken off of the road each year is too high and program participation will be more limited. For the sake of the aftermarket and the classic car hobby I hope this bill fails because it could be your dream car that winds up crushed into a 2-ton steel paper weight. Check out the SEMA site for some more information on how you can help. [source: MSNBC]