ATA Encourages EPA to ‘Harmonize’ Federal, California OBD Requirements
By Andrea Fischer, Staff Reporter
This story appears in the May 28 print edition of Transport Topics.Click here to subscribe today.
American Trucking Associations has urged the Environmental Protection Agency to harmonize pending federal and California onboard diagnostics rules.
ATA said in comments filed earlier this month it believes that “without [Environmental Protection Agency] leadership, disharmonized OBD requirements could adversely lead to the California standard becoming a de facto national standard, should California requirements be more stringent than federal standards.”
Under the Clean Air Act, California can enforce its own emission regulations if it receives a federal waiver, and other states have the right to choose California’s emission standards over federal standards.
EPA proposed an onboard diagnostics regulation late last year that would require engine manufacturers to phase in the devices starting in 2010. Beginning in 2013, all truck engines would have to meet the requirements (12-18 & 25, p. 4).
California’s rule and the proposed federal rule would require trucks to be equipped with onboard diagnostic systems that exceed what truck manufacturers currently provide.
“The two regulations are similar, but the CARB regulation is more stringent, with tougher failure thresholds” for the devices, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board. “If there is a problem with an emissions control system on a truck, the CARB standard would require that the OBD system detect the issue sooner than the federal standard would.”
The Engine Manufacturers Association said in its comments, “If California is allowed to proceed on its own, before EPA finalizes its nationwide rule, states may perceive that there is a need for them to opt in to the California rule.”
“A state-by-state opt-in . . . could have disastrous consequences for the heavy-duty engine and vehicle industry . . . as it would, among other things, require manufacturers to label, distribute and track engine products meeting California requirements in some states and federal requirements in others,” EMA said.
The association added, “EPA can, and must, do what is necessary to minimize such an adverse result.”
But CARB’s onboard diagnostic regulation gives manufacturers sufficient lead time to develop and implement new onboard diagnostic systems, allowing them to gain experience “on a smaller number of engines prior to wide-scale implementation,” CARB said in a comment submitted to the EPA.
Nevertheless, “We want to make sure that [California and federal] onboard diagnostics proposals are consistent with each other,” said Mike Tunnell, ATA’s director of environmental affairs.
“We want the same requirements for manufacturers” across the nation, “so they can produce a single U.S. truck, and not have to comply with two different standards.”
