Public Workshop on May 6, 2021: California Air Resources Board (CARB) staff invites you to participate in a public workshop to begin discussion of potential proposed amendments to the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulation (Off-Road Regulation). The goal of these amendments would be to reduce emissions of criteria pollutants and toxics from off-road diesel vehicles operating in California, beyond the reductions being achieved via the ongoing implementation of the existing Off-Road Regulation. The target of these amendments align with the targets set out by the Draft 2020 Mobile Source Strategy, which sets a goal of reducing statewide NOx emissions from the construction and earth moving sector by 7.5 tons per day by 2031. At this workshop, staff will be soliciting input from stakeholders on the potential regulatory scope of, approaches to, and initial concepts to achieve these emission reduction goals.
CARB is following directives from the Governor’s Executive Orders N-29-20 and N‑33-20 as well as the California Department of Public Health’s recommendations regarding public gatherings. As a result, the public workshop will be a remote meeting only, held via webinar; there will be no physical public access location.
Webinar Information (Register here):
Date: Thursday May 6, 2021
Time: 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (PT)
Webinar Registration:
Interested parties must register to participate. The workshop agenda, webinar participation details, and an electronic copy of the staff presentation will be posted one week before the workshop on the In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulation website.
More Information:
The workshop will consist of a presentation by staff, followed by a question-and-answer session. Please note that the workshop may end prior to the specified end time if all questions and comments are addressed prior to the designated webinar end time.
Background:
Mobile sources, including on-road vehicles and off-road equipment, contribute a majority of smog-forming oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and the largest portion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in California, and are a significant source of toxic air contaminants that directly impact community health in California. These harmful emissions must be reduced from all sources of air pollution in California to not only meet the federal standards but to minimize negative health effects in the state’s most impacted and disadvantaged communities, and CARB is committed to adopting and enforcing policies to reduce these harmful emissions. CARB develops a multi-pollutant planning document called the Mobile Source Strategy to determine the pathways available to the various mobile sectors to achieve these emission reduction goals. Information on the Draft 2020 Mobile Source Strategy can be found here:
More Information:
This planning document highlights the need for additional emission reductions from the in-use off-road diesel equipment sector in order to meet CARB’s emission reduction goals, with special considerations for federally designated air quality non-attainment regions, such as the South Coast Air Basin and the San Joaquin Valley.
The in-use heavy-duty off-road diesel equipment sector includes equipment used in industries such as construction, mining, industrial, oil drilling, and others, and covers mobile, diesel-fueled vehicles with 25 horsepower and greater engines. Common examples are loaders, backhoes, excavators, forklifts, and oil rigs. The diesel equipment in this category is currently subject to CARB’s Off-Road Regulation, approved by the Board in 2007, with significant amendments approved by the Board in 2009 and 2010. To achieve emission reductions from this sector, the existing rule requires that fleets meet an increasingly stringent set of annual fleet average targets, through 2023 for large and medium fleets, and 2028 for small fleets. While this regulation has resulted in significant emissions reductions from the sector, the regulation in its current structure does allow the oldest and dirtiest equipment to continue operating indefinitely with no activity restrictions (depending on the mix of other equipment owned by the fleet).
The intent of the potential amendments CARB is considering is to achieve further emission reductions from the in-use off-road diesel sector by targeting retirement of the oldest and dirtiest equipment in the fleet, and to build upon the current regulation by ensuring that when a fleet adds a vehicle, it is a cleaner vehicle. In addition, CARB will be reviewing other aspects of the current regulation and exploring changes that could result in further emission reductions, improvements to implementation or enforcement, and clarification of the regulation.
Contact:
We welcome and encourage the public’s participation in this process. For questions regarding the workshop or potential amendments to the Off-Road Regulation, please contact Mr. Nathan Dean, Air Pollution Specialist.
CARB staff will use the Off-Road Equipment (In-Use) Control Measure email list to notify stakeholders of updates to this measure development and proposal, and of opportunities for public input throughout the process. To sign up for the Off-Road Equipment (In-Use) Control Measure email list, please visit:
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/CARB/subscriber/new.
CRA
http://www.calrental.org/