The California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced that no proposed change will be made to the model year (MY) 2004 Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) engine compliance date. It is still December 31, 2011.
As announced at a recent public workshop, CARB has evaluated potential public health risks associated with the current seven-year operational life of TRU engines and found it to be unacceptably high to receptors near distribution centers.
The board has learned that TRU engine activity at distribution centers is greater than understood to be in the 2004 rulemaking. Therefore, extending the operational life of MY 2004 and newer TRU engines beyond seven years would increase the duration of the public’s exposure to diesel particulate matter emissions and delay the reduction of public health risks near facilities where TRUs congregate in large numbers. Given this, CARB is not proposing to extend the operational life of MY 2004 and newer TRU engines.
CARB staff will be presenting this proposal at the board’s October 2011 public hearing. If the board, after considering all of the information presented at the hearing, concurs with staff’s proposal, then MY 2004 and newer TRU engines would be required to meet the in-use performance standards, as specified in the current TRU Airborne Toxic Control Measures (ATCM), by December 31st of the seventh year after the engine model year. Specifically:
•MY 2004 engines rated at 25 horsepower and greater must meet the Ultra-Low-Emission TRU (ULETRU) standard by Dec 31, 2011.
•MY 2004 engines in the less than 25-hp category must meet either the ULETRU or the Low-Emissions TRU (LETRU) in-use performance standard by Dec 31, 2011.
Going forward, MY 2005 and newer TRU engines of any horsepower category must meet ULETRU by December 31st of the seventh year after the engine model year, as currently required by the ATCM.
Visit www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/tru/tru.htm for more details. For further information about compliance, call the TRU Helpline at 1-888-878-2826 or 916-323-0561.
