(November 28, 2007) The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is developing regulations that target heavy-duty diesel vehicles that are currently in service in California in an effort to meet federal requirements in a timely fashion.
The goal of the regulations is to reduce diesel particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in order to meet standards set forth under the federal Clean Air Act and the State Implementation Plan. CARB is expected to vote on the proposed regulations in the summer of 2008.
Anticipated Action
CARB has developed several strategies in an effort to meet the goals of the diesel risk reduction plan. These strategies include new clean engine requirements, cleaning up existing engines and the use of cleaner fuel.
The types of vehicles covered by the regulations would include diesel trucks over 14,000 pounds, concrete mixers, dump trucks, bucket/boom trucks, crane trucks, hay squeeze vehicles, tow trucks, fuel tank trucks, passenger buses and more. The regulations would apply to any person, business or government agency that operates one of these vehicles in the state.
Early drafts of the regulations contain two phases of implementation. The first phase requires that NOx and PM exhaust emissions be less than or equal to emissions from a 2004 model-year, heavy-duty diesel engine. This first phase has a tiered implementation date, depending on the engine model years in the vehicles seeking compliance, with the oldest engines having the earliest compliance dates. The second phase requires that NOx and PM exhaust emissions be less than or equal to a 2007 model-year, heavy-duty diesel engine. Phase two has the same tiered implementation model. Vehicle owners would be required to retire older vehicles, install cleaner engines or retrofit older vehicles if technology were available.
Impact on Business
The impact on the business community will be significant. Any business operating in California that owns any vehicle subject to these regulations will be required to comply on a tiered timeframe, depending on the age of the vehicle. The cost of compliance will depend on the age of the vehicles to be replaced or retrofitted, the cost of available technology and the size of the fleets that need to be in compliance. Although the exact cost cannot be calculated, it will be very significant for any operation in California that has vehicles falling under the regulations. Complicating the situation is the fact that some technology needed to comply with these regulations is not available, or not available in sufficient quantity to meet the demand created by these regulations.
CalChamber Position
The CalChamber believes that it is important to meet state and federal goals for improving California air quality in a timely fashion. However, the CalChamber does not support an overly aggressive implementation of new regulatory requirements that forces California businesses to make major investments in equipment that they already own and are using legally. Many California businesses have made major, long-term investments in vehicle fleets; regulatory action that could force them into replacing a relatively new fleet could be financially devastating. Any action by CARB should be fashioned in a way that allows long-term investments to be realized in order to prevent significant impact on the California economy.
Forming a Coalition
The CalChamber is joining with other organizations to form a coalition focused on working with CARB to structure the regulation in a way that is not detrimental to California’s economy. If you would like more information contact Jason Schmelzer, policy advocate for the CalChamber.
Staff Contact: Jason Schmelzer
Additional Materials
Climate Change
Transportation