6o
           Change in  Regulatory Deadline for
           Rulemaking to Address the Control
           of Emissions  from  New Marine
           Compression-Ignition Engines  at or
           Above 30 Liters per Cylinder
               The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing a
               Direct Final Rule to extend the regulatory deadline for promul-
           gating new exhaust emission standards for Category 3 marine engines.
           The deadline will move from April 27, 2007, to December 17, 2009.
    Overview
    In January 2003, EPA issued a final rule establishing the first U.S. emission standards
    for new compression'ignition Category 3 marine engines (those with a displacement
    at or above 30 liters per cylinder). This rule also set a deadline of April 27, 2007, for
    EPA to promulgate a new tier of emission standards for these engines [68 FR 9746,
    February 28, 2003], This rule schedule was intended to allow EPA time to consider
    the state of technology that may permit deeper emission reductions and the status of
    international action for more stringent standards.

    Since 2003, we continue to work with industry and other stakeholders to gain a
    greater understanding of the issues described in the 2003 final rule and to assess the
    ongoing efforts of manufacturers to apply advanced emission control technologies to
    these very large engines. In addition, we have continued to work with and through
    the International Maritime Organization (IMO) toward more stringent international
    emission standards that would apply to all new marine diesel engines on ships
    engaged in international transportation. IMO is an important forum for EPA to
    gather new information and data regarding emission control technologies, costs, and
    other information on Category 3 engines and vessels. IMO is also important because
    the majority of ships used in international commerce are flagged in other nations.

    Due to the long lead times associated with the installation and assessment of
    advanced emission control technologies and to the delayed start of IMO negotiations
    for a new tier of international standards, much of the information that will be

                                    Office of Transportation and Air Quality
United States
Environmental Protection                                      EPA420-F-07-024
Agency                                                      Apri| 2Q07

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required to develop new Category 3 marine diesel engines standards is only now becoming
available. Therefore, EPA is issuing a direct final rule to adopt a new regulatory deadline for
the next tier of Category 3 marine diesel engine standards, with a final rule to be adopted no
later than December 17, 2009. We intend to issue an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
within the next few months as part of this new regulatory development process.
Public Participation Opportunities
This rule is being released as a direct final rule. However, comments can be submitted under
a parallel Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM). Comments will be accepted for 30 days
beginning when the NPRM is published in the Federal Register. All comments should be
identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2006-0858 and submitted by one of the following
methods:

         Internet: www.regulations.gov
         E-mail: A-and-R-Docket@epa.gov
         Mail:
             Environmental Protection Agency
             Air and Radiation Docket and Information Center (6102T)
             1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
             Washington, DC 20460
         Hand Delivery:
             EPA West Building
             EPA Docket Center (Room 3334)
             1301 Constitution Avenue NW
             Washington, DC
For More Information
You can access the rule and related documents on EPA's Office of Transportation and Air
Quality (OTAQ) Web site at:

       www. epa. go v/otaq/mar ine .htm

For more information on this Direct Final Rule, please contact the Assessment and Standards
Division at:

       U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
       Assessment and Standards Division
       Office of Transportation and Air Quality
       2000 Traverwood Drive
       Ann Arbor, MI 48105
       Voice-mail: (734) 214-4636
       E-mail: asdinfo@epa.gov
Change in Regulatory Deadline for Rulemaking

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