The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has asked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to approve the state's recently adopted off-road engine emission standards that will force construction companies in California to retrofit or replace almost all of their heavy construction equipment. EPA must review and approve California's standards before the state can legally enforce them; a Clean Air Act process called "granting a waiver of federal preemption." If EPA grants the state's waiver request, other states would be free to adopt California's new rules, which apply to all off-road diesel fleets currently in use.
Use AGC's Legislative Action Center to tell EPA how California's off-road engine emission standards are detrimental to the industry. EPA must receive all comment letters by this Friday, December 19, 2008. The process is easy and only takes a minute.
The industry estimates that the cost of compliance will reach roughly $13 billion in California alone, and even the state has put the cost at $3.4 billion. Nationwide, the cost to industry would be immeasurable. AGC of America and its two California chapters formally petitioned CARB on Dec. 15 to reopen or repeal the so-called "In-Use Off-Road Diesel-Fueled Fleets Regulation," demonstrating that the rule would impose an excessive burden on the state's struggling construction industry. Since July of 2007, when CARB adopted the rule, California's construction industry has fallen $22 billion short of the state's economic forecast and lost approximately 120,000 jobs. To read more information on the rule and AGC's petition, go to www.agc.org/carbrule.
For more information, contact Leah Pilconis at (703) 837-5332 or pilconisl@agc.org.
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