State of California AIR RESOURCES BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING TO CONSIDER THE STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LOW-EMISSION VEHICLE PROGRAM The California Air Resources Board (the Board or ARB) will conduct a public meeting at the time and place noted below to consider the status of implementation of the Low-Emission Vehicle program and the associated technologies which are needed to meet the program requirements. DATE: November 21, 1996 TIME: 9:30 a.m. PLACE: California Air Resources Board Board Hearing Room, Lower Level 2020 L Street Sacramento, California This item will be considered at a two-day meeting of the Board, which will commence at 9:30 a.m., November 21, 1996, and may continue at 8:30 a.m., November 22, 1996. This item may not be considered until November 22, 1996. Please consult the agenda for the meeting, which will be available at least 10 days before November 21, 1996, to determine the day on which this item will be considered. On September 28, 1990, the Board approved regulations to require the production and sale of low-emission vehicles and ensure the availability of clean alternative fuels needed by these vehicles. In approving these regulations, the Board recognized the need for further regulatory review to incorporate new information and to make any necessary amendments to the originally adopted program. As part of this process, three program implementation updates have been conducted since the regulations were initially adopted. At the last update in October-December 1995, only the ZEV requirement was discussed due to production decision timing constraints particularly affecting these vehicles. Therefore, an update of the conventional vehicle portion of the Low-Emission Vehicle program will be the focus of this November 1996 hearing, although the ARB staff will provide an update on recent progress of vehicle manufacturers in introducing advanced ZEVs for public evaluation. In preparation for this update, staff has reviewed the available information regarding the vehicle technologies likely to be implemented and their associated costs and has reached the following conclusions regarding the technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness of the Low-Emission Vehicle program requirements: The technologies needed to comply with the Low-Emission Vehicle program are available and many of the technologies are already in production on many new vehicles. Some vehicles meeting the more stringent emission standards may need advanced emission technologies which are at a state of commercial readiness. Manufacturers are expected to successfully develop and implement new technologies on schedule. Staff s analysis indicates that the costs associated with the Low-Emission Vehicle program continue to be reasonable and cost-effective. Advanced zero-emission vehicles will soon be available for public evaluation. Therefore, ARB staff is proposing no changes to the fleet average emission requirements for low-emission vehicles at this time. ARB staff will present its findings at the ARB meeting referenced above. Copies of the written report prepared by staff will be available at the Board s Public Information Office, 2020 L Street, Sacramento, California 95814, (916) 322-2990, at least 30 days prior to the scheduled meeting. The public may present comments on the report orally or in writing. Written comments must be filed with the Clerk of the Board, Air Resources Board, P.O. Box 2815, Sacramento, California 95812, no later than 12:00 noon, November 20, 1996, or received by the Clerk of the Board at the meeting. ARB requests but does not require that twenty copies of any written statements be submitted. Further inquires regarding this matter should be directed to Paul Hughes, Manager, Alternate Fuels Section, Engineering Studies Branch, Mobile Source Division, P.O. Box 8001, El Monte, California 91731, (818) 575-6977. CALIFORNIA AIR RESOURCES BOARD Michael P. Kenny Executive Officer Date: