California regulation could be the start of big changes for the construction industry. 

Because California is famous for setting trends that eventually become standards throughout the country, fleet owners and equipment manufacturers around the country are keeping a close eye on a regulation recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Passed on July 26, 2007, the regulation will require some older diesel construction industry equipment to be upgraded to meet California's new emission standards. Equipment that cannot be affordably upgraded may have to be retired.

The CARB's "In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation" was developed for two main reasons. One, the reduction of emissions from these vehicles—which include loaders, crawler tractors, skid steers, backhoes, forklifts, and airport ground support equipment—is necessary to meet federally imposed clean air standards. Failure to meet these standards can result in the withholding of federal funds for public projects like highway improvements.

The other reason for the regulation is to reduce "the serious health risk posed to the people of California by particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions from diesel-powered, off-road vehicles." (The regulation applies to mobile equipment only. Portable equipment, such as generators and power packs, has its own regulations).

Under the CARB rule, all California construction fleets will be required to meet fleet average emission rate targets for particulate matter, while medium and large fleets also would be required to meet fleet targets for nitrogen oxide. The regulation would take effect in 2010 for larger fleets, or those with more than 5,000 horsepower (the regulation does not apply to vehicles operated less than 100 hours per year). For medium fleets (2,501 to 5,000 hp), the first fleet average compliance dates would be in 2013. For fleets of 2,500 hp or less, the requirements would take effect in 2015.

"The industry is in the midst of a transition from Tier-2 to Tier-3 engines," says David Campbell, engine and operator systems manager for the Ditch Witch organization. "The California regulation is already looking toward Tier-4 standards.

" Campbell says that to some degree the CARB rule has already affected other states. The CARB rule states that any equipment operating within California's borders must comply with the new emission requirements. So, a diesel equipment operator in Nevada who wants to cross the border to work in California needs to determine if his equipment is in compliance. If the equipment isn't brand new, chances are it doesn't satisfy CARB requirements, and its operator can't work in California.

So, what about those reliable old units you bought for their long-lasting productivity? Is it only a matter of time before they're considered illegal? The good news is that some engine manufacturers offer retrofit or repowering packages that reduce engine emissions from older equipment. One retrofitting system involves the installation of emissions technology such as particulate "traps."

Equipment that isn't retrofitted for one reason or another may be retired or sold, so there might be a lot of used diesel equipment for sale in California soon. But that equipment may eventually require compliance with the EPA's Tier-3 and Tier-4 regulations, and perhaps stricter regulations adopted by states that want to emulate California.

But the time and expense of making machines compliant may not be the worst of it. Contractors will also have to be increasingly diligent about keeping and reporting records to state air-quality agencies. "It will be quite an administrative burden," says Campbell.

For more information about the new CARB regulations, visit www.arb.ca.gov.

Sources for this article:

    * California Ups Emissions Reductions by BarbaraIbrahim, Equipment World magazine, March 2007.
    * www.arb.ca.gov

 

Published in the Fall 2007 issue of The Underground.