What's New List Serve Post Display

The California Air Resources Board (ARB) invites interested
parties to participate in a public workshop on September 28,
2015, in El Monte, California, to discuss a proposed rulemaking
that would provide certification flexibility to accelerate market
launch of the innovative truck and bus technologies that
California needs to meet its long-term air quality and climate
goals. Since the Proposed Innovative Technology Rulemaking
initial March 9, 2015 public workshop, staff has worked with
stakeholders and held five public work group meetings to identify
targeted certification and on-board diagnostic (OBD) flexibility
that would enable early deployment of key innovative technologies
while maintaining the ability to ensure anticipated emission
benefits are achieved in-use.  

This public workshop provides interested stakeholders the
opportunity to review and discuss staff’s potential draft
regulatory language regarding possible tiered certification and
OBD requirements for heavy-duty hybrid engines and vehicles,
engines meeting California’s optional low oxide of nitrogen (NOx)
emission standard, and other innovative heavy-duty engine
technologies, as well as potential approval requirements for
medium- and heavy-duty vehicle hybrid conversion systems.  The
details of the public workshop are as follows:

	Date:		September 28, 2015

	Time:		9:00 a.m. – noon 
				
	Location:	California Air Resources Board
                        Annex 4 Auditorium			
                        9530 Telstar Avenue
			El Monte, California  91731

   Staff Contact:	Joe Calavita, (916) 445-4586
				jcalavit@arb.ca.gov
	

If you are unable to attend in person, the meeting will also be
available via teleconference and GoToMeeting.  To participate by
teleconference, dial (888) 946-6305, and enter participant code:
49177.  If you choose to participate via the GoToMeeting, please
register at the following website: 
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8994048364784771073 .

In the week prior to the workshop, a workshop agenda and initial
draft regulatory language will be available via the ARB website
at www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/itr/itr.htm.  Possible draft regulatory
language included is only intended to encourage stakeholder
feedback, is incomplete, and should not be construed as a formal
regulatory proposal.  

Background:  The South Coast and San Joaquin Valley air basins
are the only two areas in the nation in extreme non-attainment of
the national ambient air quality standard for ozone.  Meeting the
federal ozone standard will require significant NOx reductions in
many parts of California, including up to 90 percent additional
NOx reductions in the South Coast by 2031.  In addition,
California Executive Order S-3-05 sets a greenhouse gas emission
reduction target of 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.  To
meet these multiple long-term air quality and climate goals,
California must accelerate development and deployment of the
cleanest feasible technologies for all vehicle and equipment
sectors, with broad deployment of zero- and near zero emission
cars, trucks, and buses.  

California has employed a suite of strategies to significantly
reduce mobile source emissions over the years, including:
progressively lower engine and vehicle emission standards to
reduce emissions from new vehicles; certification, OBD, Smog
Check and other requirements to ensure emissions remain low
in-use; fleet rules and financial incentives to clean up the
existing legacy fleet; and, most recently, incentive funding to
accelerate demonstration and deployment of the next generation of
advanced vehicle and equipment technologies.  

The potential Innovative Technology Regulation is intended to add
to these strategies by potentially providing defined, near-term
ARB certification and aftermarket part approval flexibility to
help facilitate market launch of the next generation of truck and
bus technologies, possibly including heavy-duty engines meeting
California’s optional low NOx standards and robust hybrid
technologies.  ARB’s existing certification and OBD requirements
provide a critical and effective mechanism for ensuring a
vehicle’s expected emission benefits are achieved and maintained
for a vehicle’s useful life.  However, ARB’s engine and vehicle
approval paradigm, geared towards traditional technologies, may
deter some manufacturers from developing promising new
technologies which are uncertain to achieve market acceptance.  

This potential regulation could work synergistically with ongoing
and anticipated State and federal technology advancing
regulations.  For example, a more flexible certification pathway
could encourage technology diversity and early deployment of
technologies used to comply with Phase 1 and proposed Phase 2
greenhouse gas emission standards for medium- and heavy-duty
vehicles, or increase manufacturers’ willingness to develop an
engine meeting ARB’s optional heavy-duty engine low NOx emission
standards.  Staff anticipates the potential regulation could also
increase the number and diversity of promising technologies
eligible for ARB’s Air Quality Improvement Program, the
California Energy Commission’s Alternative and Renewable Fuel and
Vehicle Technology Program, and other technology-advancing
incentive programs.  

Special Accommodation.  If you require a special accommodation or
need this document in an alternate format (i.e., Braille, large
print), please visit http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/ada/ada.htm for
assistance or contact the Americans with Disabilities Act
Coordinator by telephone at (916) 323-4916 no later than 10
business days before the scheduled meeting.  If you are a person
who needs assistance in a language other than English, please
visit http://www.arb.ca.gov/eeo/bilingual-services.htm or contact
the Bilingual Coordinator by telephone at (916) 322-0473 no later
than 10 business days before the scheduled meeting. 
TTY/TDD/Speech to Speech users may dial 711 for the California
Relay Service. 

Consecuente con la sección 7296.2 del Código de Gobierno de
California, una acomodación especial o necesidades lingüísticas
pueden ser suministradas para cualquiera de los siguientes: 
• Un intérprete que esté disponible en la audiencia; 
• Documentos disponibles en un formato alterno u otro idioma; 
• Una acomodación razonable relacionados con una incapacidad. 

Para solicitar estas comodidades especiales o necesidades de otro
idioma, por favor llame a la oficina del Consejo al (916)
324-0342 o envié un fax a (916) 327-8524 lo más pronto posible,
pero no menos de 10 días de trabajo antes del día programado para
la audiencia del Consejo. TTY/TDD/Personas que necesiten este
servicio pueden marcar el 711 para el Servicio de Retransmisión
de Mensajes de California

ARB will use the Innovative Technology Regulation email list to
notify stakeholders of updates to the regulatory proposal and of
additional opportunities for public input throughout the
rulemaking process.  To sign up for the Innovative Technology
Regulation email list, please visit:
www.arb.ca.gov/listserv/listserv_ind.php?listname=itr.   

We welcome and encourage your participation in this effort.  If
you have questions regarding either the workshop or the proposed
Innovative Technology Regulation, please contact Mr. Joe
Calavita, Staff Air Pollution Specialist, at (916) 445-4586 or by
email at jcalavit@arb.ca.gov, or Mr. David Chen, Manager of the
Advanced Emission Control Strategies Section, at (626) 350 6579
or by email at david.chen@arb.ca.gov.  





California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.