The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has turned aside a request by the American Trucking Associations to delay a mandate requiring cleaner diesel engines beginning in October.
The association filed a petition June 19 complaining that the new emissions caps would hurt fleet operators by driving up vehicle costs, shortening maintenance intervals and increasing engine wear rates. The agency did not formally respond to the petition, but a spokeswoman said yesterday that EPA Administrator Christine Whitman has decided not to grant it.
“The agency is sticking to that October deadline,” Cathy Milbourn said. “There are manufacturers who have shown that they can meet the requirements. We are proceeding on schedule.”
Lawsuits by Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel seeking to block the mandate are still pending, but a trucking association representative acknowledged that they will probably not keep the limits from taking effect Oct. 1.
“I think most everyone has been preparing for that,” Assistant General Counsel Glen Kedzie said. “As we move closer to that date, it appears more inevitable.”
Part of EPA’s strategy to reduce air pollution, the new mandate would reduce allowable levels of nitrous oxide and hydrocarbon emissions from diesel engines by 40 percent. The caps were originally slated to take effect in 2004 but manufacturers agreed to move up the deadline as part of a 1998 consent decree settling government claims that they evaded earlier limits.
The new mandate worries maintenance supervisors and engine oil formulators because the most popular solution by engine manufacturers has been to install exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, which redirect a portion of exhaust back into engines. These systems raise soot and acid levels in engine oil. As a result, the trucking association has complained, engines may be subjected to more wear and tear, even if oil changes are performed more frequently.
The association has also predicted that the EGR systems will add nearly $9,000 to engine price tags. For manufacturers that fail to meet the new emissions caps, EPA has announced non-compliance penalties of up to $12,000 per non-compliant engine sold after Oct. 1. Cummins and Mack have certified some but not all engines to the more stringent standard.
Kedzie predicted that trucking companies will take a variety of steps to avoid purchasing new vehicles.
“It’s already been documented that the number of pre-buys was very, very high,” he said. “I think you’ll also see more and more purchases of newer used trucks. And we may see that companies that do purchase new trucks may choose ones that are non-compliant. There are a lot of configurations that can be worked out. The bottom line is that very few folks are going to run risks.”
By Tim Sullivan
The association filed a petition June 19 complaining that the new emissions caps would hurt fleet operators by driving up vehicle costs, shortening maintenance intervals and increasing engine wear rates. The agency did not formally respond to the petition, but a spokeswoman said yesterday that EPA Administrator Christine Whitman has decided not to grant it.
“The agency is sticking to that October deadline,” Cathy Milbourn said. “There are manufacturers who have shown that they can meet the requirements. We are proceeding on schedule.”
Lawsuits by Caterpillar and Detroit Diesel seeking to block the mandate are still pending, but a trucking association representative acknowledged that they will probably not keep the limits from taking effect Oct. 1.
“I think most everyone has been preparing for that,” Assistant General Counsel Glen Kedzie said. “As we move closer to that date, it appears more inevitable.”
Part of EPA’s strategy to reduce air pollution, the new mandate would reduce allowable levels of nitrous oxide and hydrocarbon emissions from diesel engines by 40 percent. The caps were originally slated to take effect in 2004 but manufacturers agreed to move up the deadline as part of a 1998 consent decree settling government claims that they evaded earlier limits.
The new mandate worries maintenance supervisors and engine oil formulators because the most popular solution by engine manufacturers has been to install exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems, which redirect a portion of exhaust back into engines. These systems raise soot and acid levels in engine oil. As a result, the trucking association has complained, engines may be subjected to more wear and tear, even if oil changes are performed more frequently.
The association has also predicted that the EGR systems will add nearly $9,000 to engine price tags. For manufacturers that fail to meet the new emissions caps, EPA has announced non-compliance penalties of up to $12,000 per non-compliant engine sold after Oct. 1. Cummins and Mack have certified some but not all engines to the more stringent standard.
Kedzie predicted that trucking companies will take a variety of steps to avoid purchasing new vehicles.
“It’s already been documented that the number of pre-buys was very, very high,” he said. “I think you’ll also see more and more purchases of newer used trucks. And we may see that companies that do purchase new trucks may choose ones that are non-compliant. There are a lot of configurations that can be worked out. The bottom line is that very few folks are going to run risks.”
By Tim Sullivan
