California Smog Rules
May Be Used Nationwide
June 30, 2006 — By Erica Werner, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The federal government may
use California's strict pollution rules for lawnmowers and other
small-engine machines as a national standard, a top Environmental
Protection Agency official said Thursday.
While environmentalists and air quality regulators would welcome the
development, it would be bad news for much of the small engine industry.
California aims to cut smog emissions from the highly polluting engines by
about 35 percent.
Margo Oge, director of EPA's office of transportation and air quality,
said implementing California's standard nationally could work well, though
no final decision has been made.
"We believe harmonizing with California will be cost-effective, good for
the environment, good for the industry, good for all the stakeholders,"
Oge said after a hearing Thursday on California's request for an EPA
waiver so it can implement the rules.
"We are concerned that as other sources are being controlled, this source
is going to continue to be a bigger source for air pollution, so we are
pretty interested in finishing our work and putting forth cost-effective
standards for the country," she said. "... A strong option that we're
considering is harmonizing with California."
EPA is considering California's waiver request even as it works to write
the national small-engine rules. Both decisions are expected by year's
end, after lengthy delays because of opposition from Sen. Christopher
"Kit" Bond, R-Mo.
Missouri is home to two factories owned by Briggs & Stratton Corp., the
nation's largest small engine maker. Briggs & Stratton has resisted
California's approach, which would require adding catalytic converters to
the small engines that power lawn mowers, leaf blowers, chain saws and
other devices.
The company says adding catalytic converters would be so costly that jobs
would have to be sent overseas, and also has contended there could be fire
safety risks. An EPA study mandated by Bond rejected any safety risk when
it was released in March, but Bond and the small-engine industry have
criticized that finding, and the industry is funding its own, separate
safety study.
No one from Briggs & Stratton testified Thursday, and officials from Honda
and Kohler said they supported California's rules.
But Bill Guerry of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute said the results
of California's rules would be less availability of power equipment in the
state. He said the industry has decided not to try to block California
from implementing its rules, but that many in the industry don't want to
see those regulations apply nationally.
"A lot of my members are very concerned," Guerry said after the hearing.
"What they're going to do to comply in California is eliminate half of
their product line."
California officials testified that the rules were necessary so the state
could meet federally mandated clean air attainment goals.
Environmentalists and regulators from other states also testified in favor
of giving the state a waiver to implement its rules and pave the way for
national standards.
"I consider this regulation of major importance in our efforts to achieve
clean air," said Robert Sawyer, chairman of the California Air Resources
Board.
Without new rules, pollution from small engines is expected to account for
15 percent of mobile source pollution nationally by 2020. California
contains more areas with high air pollution than any other state.
Source: Associated Press