What's New List Serve Post Display

Purchase of particulate filter by May 1 earns early action credit
for another truck in fleet 
. 

California Air Resources Board 
News Release 
For Immediate Release
Release # 11-13
Date: April 6, 2011

ARB PIO: CONTACT:Mary Fricke
(916) 322-2990 or
(916) 322-2638
mfricke@arb.ca.gov

Karen Caesar
626-575-6725
kcaesar@arb.ca.gov

ARB announces special compliance option for California on-road
diesel fleets 


Purchase of particulate filter by May 1 earns early action credit
for another truck in fleet 


SACRAMENTO - 
ARB announces an early action compliance credit for trucking
fleets that install a particulate filter by July 1, 2011, or that
make a commitment to purchase a particulate filter by May 1,
2011.  By installing a particulate filter early on one truck, the
fleet will be able to delay compliance for a second truck in the
fleet until January 1, 2017.

The early action “buy-one-get-one-free” credit applies to heavier
trucks with a manufacturers gross vehicle weight rating of more
than 26,000 lbs. There is no limit on how many trucks in the
fleet can earn the early action credit.

“California fleets need to act now in order to take advantage of
this special offer to clean up their fleets so that they are
further along in complying with ARB’s diesel reduction
regulations,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.  “Acting now not
only makes good business sense, it also means communities can
breathe cleaner air sooner.”  

Fleets that install a particulate matter filter by July 1, 2011,
will get the early action credit.  Fleets that have made the
commitment to purchase by May 1 and install the PM filter after
July 1, 2011, will still receive early action credit.    In
addition, the vehicle that is retrofitted would also be compliant
until 2020 regardless of engine model year.  Extra particulate
filter credits are not available for filters installed to comply
with other pre-existing ARB regulations or, if partially paid for
by public funding. 

Fleets are required to report information about all of their
heavier trucks that operate in California by January 31, 2012, to
use the phase-in option and to claim the early action credit plus
other credits.

On December 17, 2010, ARB made amendments to the Truck and Bus
regulations in order to offer businesses a variety of options to
comply with regulations to reduce soot from diesel engines while
assuring that California continues to meet its air quality
obligations and public health.

On December 11, 2008, ARB approved the Truck and Bus regulation
to control emissions from nearly all existing diesel powered
heavy-duty trucks and buses operating in California and became
effective under California law on January 8, 2010.  The
regulation applies to diesel fueled trucks and buses with a gross
vehicle weight rating greater than 14,000 lbs. that are privately
owned, federally owned, and to publicly and privately owned
school buses.  

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40
other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California
identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant
based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other
health problems. In 2000, the ARB established California's Diesel
Risk Reduction Plan, which aims to reduce diesel emissions to 85
percent below 2000 levels by 2020.

For more information on the Truck and Bus regulation, go to
http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel/onrdiesel.htm or call
1-866-6DEISEL.




The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.