Contrary to published reports and the agency’s own website, a California Air Resources Board spokeswoman says heavy-duty diesel truck operators will not be required to show proof of federal emissions compliance come Jan. 1, 2006.
A proposal for requiring such proof will, however, be made public in December, and CARB will discuss the proposal during its Jan. 26-27 meeting in Sacramento, says Karen Caesar, a CARB information officer. “Right around December 8 or 9, it will go public, and there will be more information available,” Caesar says.
The proposed amendment to CARB’s existing diesel-inspection program is an attempt to comply with a 2004 state law. The amendment would require operators of diesel-powered heavy-duty commercial vehicles to possess proof that their vehicles’ engines meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards for the year they were manufactured. “So if you’re driving a truck with a 1995 engine, it has to meet standards for 1995,” Caesar says.
The trucking industry, the public and any other concerned parties will have the chance to voice their concerns at the January meeting, Caesar says. Information on the proposal is online at http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/hdvip/bip/bip.htm. Caesar did not know when the amendment, if approved, would be implemented.
