Judge Upholds California Retrofit Law

California court has refused to stop the implementation of a state regulation requiring diesel engine manufacturers to reset engine controls on older trucks in order to meet emission standards.

California Superior Court Judge Loren McMaster said he would not grant an injunction that four engine manufacturers had sought to block a state board’s December 2004 regulation mandating the “reflash” for an estimated 350,000 to 450,000 trucks.

Meanwhile, a California Air Resources Board spokesman said the agency would not actively try to issue citations for older trucks, although the injunction meant 1993-1994 model-year trucks had to get their engines reset by May 1, two days after the judge’s ruling.