ACP Pubs

Loren Faulkner

Now It Starts
June 16, 2008

The controversial California Air Resources Board (CARB) Off-Road Diesel Regulations were officially written into California law yesterday (Article 4.8, section 2449).  View the entire set of regs at: http://www.arb.ca.gov/regact/2007/ordiesl07/ordiesl07.htm

The regulations are aimed at drastically reducing diesel particulates and fumes, allegedly sparing the lives of thousands each year.

Even though some portions of the law must receive EPA approval, CARB will enforce registration portions of the rules.

Paperwork

Signage must be placed on the side of each vehicle to make spotting by CARB enforcement agents easier. And, each fleet’s engine must be meticulously monitored and paperwork submitted regularly to Sacramento.

As Seth Hammond, president of Southern California Contractors Association (SCCA), has said, “I can tell you from personal experience that the (current) portable engine regulations paperwork costs my fleet of 19 mobile cranes about four hours a week right now. I can’t imagine the cost for a big scraper fleet under the off-road rule.”

Industry experts say the recordkeeping and reporting requirements alone will cost the construction industry $65.6 million every year, based on CARB’s estimate of cost from the Portable Engine Registration Program of $400 per engine.

Enforcement

CARB administrators have said non-compliance may cost $10,000 per day, per violation, but would probably start at only $500 per day per violation. The entity has petitioned the state legislature to provide increased funding for hiring more inspectors.

Posted by Loren Faulkner on June 16, 2008 | Comments (0)