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This page last reviewed January 12, 2009
In-Use Off-Road Diesel Vehicle Regulation
On July 26, 2007, the Air Resources Board (ARB) adopted a regulation to
reduce diesel particulate matter (PM) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)
emissions from in-use (existing) off-road heavy-duty diesel vehicles in
California. Such vehicles are used in construction, mining, and
industrial operations. For more information, please call the diesel
vehicle information hot line at (866) 6-DIESEL or (866) 634-3735.
You may also find information on the ARB's program for
new
off-road mobile equipment
, instead of in-use PM control measures, or find
information on ARB's program at
off-road large spark-ignition equipment
(e.g., forklifts).
The regulatory language and information on reporting and compliance
tools can be accessed by clicking the quick links buttons above.
What's New?:
Posted January 29, 2010- To assist large fleets with their compliance efforts, ARB staff will conduct a FREE training seminar at 9AM on February 10, 2010, in Sacramento. The seminar will be geared towards helping large fleets understand the March 1, 2010, large fleet compliance requirements, as well as providing information on reduced activity credits and retrofit visibility. For more information on the seminar, see the training flyer or register here.
- ARB has released the Retrofit Visibility Guide and Exemption Application, detailing how a vehicle may be retrofit without impairing visibility, and how to apply for exemptions from the 2010 retrofit requirements if a vehicle cannot be retrofit without creating an impairment. Both are available on the retrofit safety page. ARB has also released an FAQ detailing how retrofit visibility and exemptions will interact with the regulation requirements for fleets that have installed retrofits or have retrofits on order, available on the same page.
- The California Office of Administrative Law has approved changes to the off-road regulation from two 2009 rulemakings and filed them with the California Secretary of State, thereby making them effective. The changes include the extension of double retrofit to January 1, 2010 approved by the Air Resources Board (ARB) on January 22, 2009, and the new Assembly Bill 8 2X (AB 8 2X) credits for fleets impacted by the recession. For further information on the January 2009 changes, please visit in-use off-road diesel-fueled fleets page. For further information on the new AB 8 2X credits, please see the early credit fact sheet.
- ARB has posted a new vdecs page with information regarding what VDECS are available for off-road vehicles and other answers to common questions regarding the use of VDECS for compliance with the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation. We have also posted further information regarding the interim retrofit visibility policy, and vehicles that have been retrofit with zero visibility impairment on the off-road VDECS safety page. Further information on these and other topics related to retrofit visibility will be added as soon as possible.
-
The off-road diesel vehicle regulation was amended in December, 2008, in January, 2009, and most
recently in July, 2009. For the convenience
of stakeholders so that they do not have to view four documents to see the pending changes, staff
has created an informal updated/combined version of the regulatory language containing the pending
changes –
accessible here.
These amendments are not as yet in effect in that they have not been formally approved by the Office of Administrative Law or certified by the California Secretary of State. ARB will post, on this website, updated operative final regulation orders as they are certified by the Secretary of State.
-
ARB and the Division of Occupational Safety and
Health (Cal/OSHA) have agreed on an interim policy to address retrofit visibility concerns for off-road diesel
vehicles. The interim policy will exempt any vehicles that cannot be retrofit without impairing the operator’s
vision to the front, sides, or rear of the vehicle from the March 1, 2010 retrofit requirement for large
fleets of off-road diesel vehicles. ARB will release details regarding the method to measure visibility
impairment, as well the process for applying for an exemption as soon as possible.
For more information and a background on this issue, you may view the interim policy online.
Fleets that must complete retrofits in 2010 should begin by retrofitting those vehicles for which retrofits may be installed without impacting operator visibility (for example, under the hood or out of site of the operator).
- To help fleets better understand what the July 2009 changes to the off-road regulation mean and how to take advantage of the new reduced activity and reduced fleet size credits, ARB staff have released updated versions of the fleet average calculators detailing the provisions of the new credits available to fleets. We have also released a new guide detailing the provisions of the new credits available to fleets. This guide, as well as a new overview of the regulation and overview of large fleets' 2010 requirements, are posted on the knowledge center.
- On July 23, 2009, the Air Resources Board amended the off-road regulation to (1) provide new credits for fleets that have experienced drops in vehicle activity and/or that have reduced their fleet size, (2) delay some of the 2011 and 2012 requirements until 2013, and (3) add new incentives to spur early retrofits and repowers. More information on the amendments is available at the rulemaking information page.
- To assist fleet owners with their compliance efforts, ARB staff is conducting an additional round of training seminars on the off-road regulation in Diamond Bar, Fresno, and Sacramento. These sessions will provide an in-depth presentation of the regulation and how to comply, as well as information about grant opportunities. In addition, participants will have an opportunity to speak one-on-one with providers of exhaust retrofit devices. This training will repeat the material covered in the first three rounds of training seminars conducted July 2008 through March 2009 and will also cover recent regulatory changes mandated by the State Legislature.
- ARB will conduct a public hearing on July 23, 2009, in San Diego to discuss modifications and clarifications to the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation. These proposed modifications include legislatively directed amendments and new incentives to spur early actions by fleets to reduce emissions. ARB has posted the public notice and staff report.
-
ARB staff has developed a DOORS Public Information Page that will
enable members of the public to check the validity of Equipment
Identification Numbers (EINs) they see in the field. The Page also
allows access to a list of fleets that have completed initial reporting
and been issued a Certificate of Reported Compliance by ARB. The DOORS
Public Information Page can be found on the left navigation bar under
Local Links or
here.
-
ARB has released the presentation for the April
29, 2009, workshop on the legislatively directed changes to the
off-road diesel vehicle regulation. This workshop includes revisions
from the April 7, 2009, workshop in Sacramento on the same topic, due
to feedback provided at the workshop on the proposed implementation of
the changes. The presentation may be downloaded
here, and is also available as a handout
here.
The presentation will be webcast, accessible from the webcast homepage, and for those attending the location is included on the workshop notice.
-
ARB has released a document with examples showing
how staff's proposed interpretation of the legislatively directed
changes to the off-road diesel vehicle regulation will apply to fleets,
in preparation for the April 29, 2009, workshop, which can be accessed
online here.
-
ARB staff has released a revised proposal for how to implement the
legislatively directed changes to the off-road regulation.
The revised proposal can be
accessed online here
.
-
Please note that due to the valuable input provided by stakeholders at the
first workshop on the legislatively driven changes to the
off-road diesel regulation held in Sacramento on April 7, 2009, staff will
present some revised proposals at the workshop on April 29, 2009, in
Diamond Bar. Therefore, this workshop will also be webcast. The live
internet broadcast will be available and can be accessed from the
webcast homepage
. In addition, the presentation containing the comments received from
the Natural Resources Defense Council at the April 7, 2009, workshop in Sacramento can be
accessed online here
.
- Staff have posted the presentation for the workshop on the legislatively driven changes to the off-road diesel regulation (also available in a handout format ). As noted below, the workshops will be held on April 7, 2009, in Sacramento, and April 29, 2009, in Diamond bar. More information on the locations, time, and how to view the April 7, 2009, webcast are available on the workshop notice.
-
The staff of the Air Resources Board invites all interested
parties to
participate in a set of public workshops to discuss how to implement
recent legislatively
directed changes to the Regulation for In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled
Vehicle Fleets.
The workshops will be held in two locations, and staff will present the same materials at both workshops. The workshops will be held on April 7, 2009, in Sacramento, and on April 29, 2009, in Diamond Bar. For more detailed information, please review the workshop notice. For those unable to attend in person, a live internet broadcast will be available at our Sacramento workshop and can be accessed online here.
-
As part of the
recently signed California budget, the California
legislature has directed the Air Resources Board to make several
changes to the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation.
PLEASE NOTE that the reporting deadlines for the off-road regulation remain in place and unchanged - April 1, 2009 for large fleets, June 1, 2009 for medium fleets, and August 1, 2009 for small fleets. For more information on reporting, please visit the reporting webpage, DOORS.
The changes ARB has been directed to make will lessen the requirements of the regulation for many large fleets in the early years of the regulation and include the following:
- Fleets who are now using their off-road vehicles less than they did as of July 1, 2007 may take credit for this reduced fleet activity to satisfy turnover and retrofitting requirements in 2010 and 2011.
- Fleets will be given credit (both PM and NOx) for any vehicle retirements made between March 1, 2006 and March 1, 2010 as long as total fleet horsepower decreased from the previous year.
- For the total cumulative turnover and retrofit requirements for the years 2011 through 2013, fleets may complete 20 percent of the total turnover and retrofitting by March 1, 2011, an additional 20 percent by March 1, 2012, and the balance by March 1, 2013.
ARB staff will be holding a workshop to discuss how to implement these changes and ways to mitigate for the loss in emission benefits caused by these changes sometime in March. Staff will release a public notice with details regarding this workshop as soon as possible.
When more specific information is available, it will be sent out via listserve and posted on this homepage.
- ARB staff has developed a poster that informs fleet owners about the off-road regulation and how to learn more about it. Copies of the poster are available free of charge by emailing Lauren Chew at lchew@arb.ca.gov and can also be downloaded from our website here in full poster size or standard letter size (8.5" by 11").
-
On January 22, 2009, the Air Resources Board amended the off-road
regulation to extend the deadline for double credit for installing
exhaust retrofits by 10 months to January 1, 2010. This amendment also
allows fleets to receive credit for retrofits which are ordered, but
delayed due to the manufacturer or installer, if the retrofits are
ordered by September 1, 2009.
The Board also asked the staff to provide the Board an update in late 2009 after initial reporting is complete. More information on the staff's initial report to the Board is available in the staff report for the January 22, 2009, hearing, available online here.