Rocketry Planet

World Wide Web — The following joint statement has been released by the national rocketry organizations:

A Joint Statement Released by the Tripoli Rocketry Association, National Association of Rocketry, and High Power Rocketry Manufacturers and Dealers Association

Everyone in model and high power rocketry is concerned about the future. The main question is not whether, but when, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) will unveil its proposal for significantly increasing regulation of our hobby. The second question is: What are we going to do about it?

There are answers to both questions, but a little historical background may help put the issues in context.

As our hobby has evolved from model to high power rocketry over the last several decades, we have recognized the need and value of working closely with local and national regulatory agencies. In the current environment, perhaps more than ever, we recognize the importance of having some reasonable regulatory guidelines to stay within, both for the protection of public safety and for the preservation of the hobby. The debate is not over regulation itself, but rather about what needs to be regulated and how.

Many years ago pioneer rocketeer G. Harry Stine recognized the need to self-regulate, and on the NAR's behalf became a member of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Harry later became the Chairman of the NFPA's Technical Committee on Pyrotechnics and invited Tripoli's then-president, Tom Blazanin, to join as well. Various manufacturers also became involved in the NFPA process, and that led to formation of the High Power Manufacturers and Dealers Association (HPRMADA).

Since that time, the NFPA process has been used by the rocketry community to develop our own model and high power rocketry safety codes, thus creating a proper, self-regulated environment for hobby participation. The NFPA committee is balanced, and includes users, experts, business and association representatives, and regulatory agencies, notably fire marshals, the ATF, and the Consumer Products Safety Commission. This process has fostered a working relationship between ourselves and government agencies at nearly every level. Everyone has participated in the development of the safety codes we use today, and the hobby has an excellent safety record.

As our hobby has evolved and grown, however, so too have the regulations. This is despite the fact that, to the best of our knowledge, no high power rocket or rocket motor has been used in a criminal activity. Today we are especially concerned that further restrictions are on the horizon, and that those restrictions will destroy our hobby by imposing high costs and unnecessarily burdensome regulations.

The latest word from the ATF is that while they do intend to propose new regulations covering rocket motors, and perhaps igniters, introduction of those regulations may be as much as one year away. We have been, and will continue to be, involved in discussions with ATF regarding their proposed regulations, but to date ATF has been unwilling to consider our opinions.

Listening to your concerns, TRA, NAR, and HPRMADA have jointly retained legal counsel in Washington, D.C., and we have together developed a strategic plan to ensure that our opinions and statistics are heard and given full consideration. While it would be unwise to publish the details of our plan, our attorneys are experienced and allied with some very influential people in Washington, and they have a variety of strategic resources available to them. Importantly, they view litigation as an avenue of last resort.

What can you do to help?

For right now, please continue to be patient. We know that many of you are frustrated by the lack of communication from us on these issues, but it has been necessary. More importantly, you will have a vital role to play, and timing will be important. The value of having thousands of active members in all 50 states cannot be overstated. We are a force that cannot be ignored, so long as we stay united, focused, and consistent in our messages. We must resist the urge to rush to action just for the sake of action.

As the leaders of your associations, we will make every effort to communicate with you more effectively, and we ask that you report to us any actions by regulatory agencies that appear to be inconsistent with existing laws or regulations. This information is extremely helpful to our efforts. As mentioned above, we also ask for your continued patience - we cannot and will not communicate publicly every step we take, but we will report to you significant developments. We will endeavor to work with rocketry information outlets to provide accurate and timely information.

And when the time is right, we will call on you for specific, coordinated action. Here's the hard part - until we ask you to take specific action, please do not take actions independently, and please do not communicate with ATF unless necessary. Our communications with ATF must be precise, coordinated, and consistent. Mixed messages are unproductive at best, and they can be fatal.

Our recent decisions have not been made lightly. Association leadership representatives have conversed and debated by letter, by phone, and more recently face-to-face in Culpeper, VA. While in Virginia, we met with counsel and mapped out our plan of action. We believe it is a good plan with solid prospects for success, and we are already moving forward.

Finally, we feel a need to stress unity. We, as your elected representatives, are united, but we need your support and cooperation to remain that way. We have strength in numbers, we have good, experienced counsel on board, and we have a plan of action. We hope you will support us in our efforts to protect and preserve our hobby now and for future generations.

Sincerely,

Bruce E. Kelly, Tripoli Rocketry Association
Mark B. Bundick, National Association of Rocketry
Mike Platt, High Power Rocketry Manufacturers and Dealers Association