News Briefs: (1) EPA Vehicle Diagnostic Systems Requirements and Evaporative Emissions Rules Updated and Clarified; (2) EPA Amends Oil Spill Rule

Washington, D.C. -- Friday, December 2, 2005 *(1) EPA Vehicle Diagnostic Systems Requirements and Evaporative Emissions Rules Updated and Clarified
(2) EPA Amends Oil Spill Rule*

*(1) EPA Vehicle Diagnostic Systems Requirements and Evaporative Emissions

Rules Updated and Clarified EPA finalized a pair of rules designed to clarify and update its existing vehicle On-Board Diagnostic (OBD) program and amend provisions of its evaporative emission regulations. The OBD clarifications will allow manufacturers of passenger vehicles, trucks and heavy-duty engines to choose one OBD system to satisfy federal and California state requirements. OBD systems detect excess emissions and potential vehicle repair needs and provide drivers with an early warning light when these situations arise.

In a separate rulemaking, EPA finalized amendments to provisions of its evaporative emissions regulations. EPA's evaporative emissions regulations detail the testing process motor vehicle manufacturers must follow to obtain emissions certification as required in the Clean Air Act. An evaporative emissions test detects the amount of hydrocarbon pollution that results when liquid fuel molecules evaporate and escape into the atmosphere. The final amendments will streamline the evaporative emissions test procedures for cars, trucks, pickups, minivans, SUVs and larger trucks up to 14,000 pounds, and will harmonize EPA and California's evaporative emissions test procedures. In addition, the amendments will allow vehicle manufacturers and EPA to use more advanced testing equipment to test four-wheel and all-wheel drive vehicles. Finally, this action revises Vehicle Emission Control Information label requirements so that label information is up to date and more useful to all interested parties, such as EPA, manufacturers and repair technicians.

For more information on EPA's OBD program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/obd/regtech/light.htm [ http://www.epa.gov/obd/regtech/light.htm ]

or http://www.epa.gov/obd [ http://www.epa.gov/obd ]

For more information on EPA's evaporative emissions program, visit: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/ld-hwy/evap/ [ http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/ld-hwy/evap/ ]

*(2) EPA Amends Oil Spill Rule Today, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed modifications and compliance extensions for the oil Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) rule.

EPA is proposing to streamline requirements for qualified facilities, qualified oil-filled operational equipment, and airport mobile refuelers. The proposal also offers a separate extension of the compliance date for farms and the removal of certain SPCC requirements for animal fats and vegetable oils.

In order to allow facilities that may be affected by the final rule the necessary time to apply the provisions, EPA is also proposing to extend the compliance deadline by which all facilities must prepare or amend and implement their SPCC Plan to Oct. 31, 2007. The agency also wants to provide members of the regulated community with sufficient time to understand the full impact offered in today's proposal in light of the information contained in the forthcoming "SPCC Guidance for Regional Inspectors" document. Finally, the effects of the recent hurricanes on many industry sectors could have adversely impacted their ability to meet the upcoming compliance dates if no extension is provided.

The SPCC rule applies to non-transportation-related facilities that meet an oil storage capacity threshold and that could reasonably be expected to discharge oil into navigable U.S. waters. SPCC regulations require each owner or operator of such a facility to have a SPCC plan, certified by a professional engineer. The plan must address the facility's design, operation and maintenance procedures for preventing discharges as well as countermeasures to mitigate effects in case of discharge.

For more information on Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure Plans, go to: http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/index.htm [ http://www.epa.gov/oilspill/index.htm ]

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