United States Air and Radiation EPA420-F-03-009
Environmental Protection April 2003
Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
&EPA Frequently Asked
Questions
EPA's Proposed Program for
Low-Emission Nonroad
Diesel Engines and Fuel
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a new
program that would greatly reduce exhaust emissions of particulate
matter and nitrogen oxides from nonroad diesel engines. This fact
sheet addresses frequently asked questions about this proposed
program.
Why is EPA concerned about emissions from
nonroad diesel engines?
Nonroad diesel engines contribute greatly to continuing air quality
problems in the United States. The engines affected by the proposal
currently account for about 44 percent of total diesel particulate matter
(PM) emissions and about 12 percent of total nitrogen oxides (NOx)
emissions from mobile sources nationwide; these proportions are even
higher in some urban areas. In addition, nonroad diesel engines will
produce a growing share of overall emissions over the next several years
as other emission-control programs take effect for cars and trucks and
other sources of nonroad emissions. Emissions from these engines
contribute to serious public health problems. To address this, Congress
directed EPA in the 1990 Clean Air Act to set emission standards for
nonroad engines that contribute to air pollution.
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What does the proposal cover?
The proposal includes emission standards for diesel engines used in most
nonroad equipment. The proposal also specifies improvements to the
quality of the fuel these engines use. Nonroad diesel engines are used in
many applications, including construction, agricultural, industrial, and
airport equipment. To illustrate the wide range of applications, this
proposal would apply to: a 3-horsepower pump, a 30-horsepower
trenching machine, a 300-horsepower bulldozer, and a 3,000-horsepower
mining truck. The new standards would take effect starting in 2008 and
be fully phased in by 2014.
Manufacturers will likely meet the proposed emission standards by using
advanced emission-control technologies, much like car manufacturers
developed the catalytic converter to control automotive emissions in
response to EPA standards. These technologies will significantly reduce
emissions, but they require fuel that has a much lower sulfur content than
today's diesel fuel. The proposal therefore includes a limit on the amount
of sulfur in fuel. This low-sulfur fuel would then be available for use by
the nonroad engines by the time the new technologies reach the market-
place. This cleaner fuel can be used without harm in existing engines and,
in fact, will also reduce emissions of particulate matter from these older
engines.
The proposal does not cover diesel engines used in highway trucks,
locomotives, marine vessels, or stationary equipment, all of which are
subject to separate requirements. However, we are proposing to substan-
tially reduce the sulfur level of diesel fuel used in locomotive and marine
applications to reduce emissions of particulate matter from these engines
and are seriously considering further improvements in fuel quality for
these engines to make possible the same kind of advanced technologies
that manufacturers would be developing for this proposal.
What is EPA trying to accomplish with the proposal?
This proposal would reduce NOx and PM emissions from nonroad diesel
engines by more than 90 percent and, as a result, provide a wide range of
public health benefits. We have estimated that, by 2030, controlling these
emissions would annually prevent 9,600 premature deaths, over 8,300
hospitalizations, and almost a million work days lost. The monetized
health benefits of this proposal would be $81 billion annually once the
program is fully phased in. Costs for both the engine and fuel require-
ments would be significantly less, at approximately $1.4 billion annually.
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Why does it take so long before the standards take
effect?
Manufacturers of nonroad diesel engines are working to meet EPA
emission standards adopted over the last eight years. Some of these
older standards start as late as 2006, so it will take an additional period
of stable emission standards for manufacturers to design and produce
their engines so they meet the proposed standards. Manufacturers are
also preparing to apply the advanced emission-control technologies to
engines used in highway trucks and buses, starting in 2007; these tech-
nologies will then be adapted for nonroad applications. In addition,
some nonroad engines are very different than highway engines, especially
those below 50-horsepower, so manufacturers will need additional
innovation to produce these engines with low emissions.
Oil refiners are already investing in efforts to meet requirements to
produce low-sulfur fuels for diesel engines used in highway vehicles
starting in 2006. These companies will use the available lead time to
apply the same approaches to produce low-sulfur fuels for nonroad
engines. The process to remove sulfur from the fuel is well understood,
but it takes considerable capital investments and time to make the neces-
sary refinery modifications.
How much will the proposed program cost?
The estimated costs vary widely for equipment of different sizes and for
different applications. For the vast majority of equipment, the cost of
meeting emission standards will be roughly one to two percent compared
with the typical retail price. Costs could range higher for some types of
equipment. As an example, for a 175-horsepower bulldozer, it will cost
an estimated $2,600 more to add the advanced emission-control systems
to the engine and to design the bulldozer to accommodate the modified
engine. A new 175-horsepower bulldozer costs approximately
$230,000, so the increased costs are about one percent of the total
purchase price. In addition, engines running on low-sulfur fuel will have
reduced maintenance expenses that we estimate will be equivalent to
reducing the cost of the fuel by 3.3 cents per gallon.
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What about controlling emissions from locomotive
and marine diesel engines?
This proposal includes no new emission standards for locomotive or
marine diesel engines. We are currently implementing emission standards
for locomotives that will be fully phased in by 2005 and for marine diesel
engines that will be fully phased in by 2009. In this proposal, we are
including a requirement that locomotive and marine diesel engines also
use low-sulfur fuel. This will reduce emissions of particulate matter from
existing and future models. In addition, we are seriously considering
whether to establish new emissions standards and requirements for even
lower fuel sulfur levels in the future that would reduce the emissions from
locomotive and marine engines by more than 90 percent with the same
advanced emission-control technologies considered in developing this
proposal.
Which industries will be affected by this proposal?
Engine manufacturers and fuel refiners will have the biggest responsibility
to meet the proposed requirements. Many of these companies have been
working for several years and investing substantially to improve their
products and processes to make this proposal possible. We will continue
to work closely with these companies during the time before the stan-
dards take effect to ensure a smooth transition to the new standards.
Additional industries that will be affected include fuel distributors and
equipment manufacturers.
Why doesn't EPA just ban diesel engines?
There is no reason to ban diesel engines. In fact, today's advanced
technologies and clean fuels are making it possible for manufacturers to
offer diesel engines that perform well with very low emissions. Also,
diesel engines have many advantages as a power source for nonroad
equipment, including wide availability, fuel efficiency, and low cost.
Diesel engines have been powering equipment for the last 100 years.
There are currently about 10 million nonroad diesel engines operating in
the United States, performing an unimaginable variety of essential jobs.
New advances in emission-control technology will allow the continued
use of nonroad diesel engines to meet these needs—without compromis-
ing the nation's air quality.
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Are other countries doing this too?
The United States is the first nation to propose a coordinated systems
approach—involving both engine and fuel changes—to achieve these
significant reductions in NOx and PM emissions from nonroad diesel
engines. The European Union has proposed emission standards that
would require advanced technologies for reducing PM emissions. Both
the European Union and Japan have contributed significantly to this
proposal and are considering similar programs for their countries. Engine
manufacturers usually try to sell the same engines in many different
countries, so harmonizing international standards is an important goal.
Where Can I Get More Information?
For more information on the environmental and health impacts of these
proposed emission standards, see the fact sheet: "Public Health and
Environmental Benefits of EPA's Proposed Program for Low-Emission
Nonroad Diesel Engines and Fuel" (EPA420-F-03-010) and the Draft
Regulatory Impact Analysis for this proposed rule. You can access these
documents and others related to the rulemaking on our Web site at:
www.epa.gov/nonroad
You can also contact us at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Assessment and Standards Division
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
Voice-mail: (734)214-4636
E-mail: asdinfo@epa.gov
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