Support Catalytic Converter Anti-Theft Legislation (H.R. 621/S. 154)

ISSUE
Catalytic converters are being stolen at increasingly higher rates due to their valuable metals, such as rhodium, platinum and palladium. Gas-powered medium-duty trucks are often targeted by thieves, as many of these vehicles have catalytic converters which can be easily accessed. Since catalytic converters are not traceable, there is a lucrative market for these stolen parts. These thefts are costing millions of dollars to businesses and individual vehicle owners alike. In addition, replacing a catalytic converter is costly and often difficult due to the part’s skyrocketing demand and supply chain shortages. Heavy-duty diesel trucks are also vulnerable to theft of their emission control devices known as diesel particulate filters (DPF) and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC), which contain the same precious metals that attracts thieves to steal catalytic converters. Congress should pass the “Preventing Auto Recycling Theft Act” (PART Act), H.R. 621/S. 154, to help law enforcement combat the theft of emission devices and add emission control systems for heavy-duty trucks to the bill.

BACKGROUND

As required by the Clean Air Act, catalytic converters reduce toxic emissions from internal combustion engine vehicles. Similar to catalytic converters in light-duty vehicles, DPFs/DOCs use precious metals to reduce toxic emissions from heavy-duty vehicles. The price of these precious metals has risen sharply, making catalytic converters and DPF/DOCs prime targets for theft. The number of catalytic converter thefts increased by nearly 900% between 2019 and 2023. Stolen catalytic converters can garner anywhere from $20 to $350 on the black market, and DPFs/DOCs can get up to $700, with the replacement cost to vehicle owners averaging over $2,500.

Catalytic converters are easy to steal, but generally very difficult to trace to a specific vehicle, allowing them to be sold on the black market. The lack of traceable identifying marks makes the theft of catalytic converters difficult to curb. Thefts of catalytic converters have also turned violent, and recently in a highly publicized tragedy, a soap opera actor lost his life after confronting thieves stealing his catalytic converter. Several states have enacted laws to combat this crime, including Minnesota which created a grant program to etch vehicle identification numbers (VINs) onto catalytic converters, and North Carolina which made catalytic converter theft a felony. However, because this crime frequently involves trafficking stolen parts across state lines, a federal framework is needed to aid the efforts of local law enforcement.

The PART Act includes a $7 million grant program through which certain entities can voluntarily stamp VINs, or other identifiers, onto the catalytic converters of vehicles already on the road at no cost to vehicle owners. Dealers are specifically eligible to utilize this grant program. The bill also requires new vehicles to have unique, traceable identifying numbers stamped on catalytic converters at the time of assembly. Additionally, the bill increases record keeping requirements for purchasers and establishes a federal criminal penalty for the theft, sale, trafficking or known purchase of stolen catalytic converters of up to five years in jail.