Technical Amendments for  Marine
                    Spark-Ignition Engines and Vessels
                        The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is publishing
                        a Direct Final Rule to make technical amendments to the design
                    standard for portable marine fuel tanks. This rule incorporates safe
                    recommended practices, developed through industry consensus.
                    Overview
                    In the final rulemaking for new exhaust and evaporative emissions standards for non-
                    road spark-ignition engines, vessels, and equipment (73 FR 59034, October 8, 2008),
                    EPA established the first-ever evaporative emissions standards for marine vessels,
                    During their efforts to certify fuel tanks to these standards, manufacturers identified a
                    technical issue that was not apparent before these standards were developed. In one
                    small subset of marine fuel tanks (portable tanks used currently in recreational vessels),
                    there is a potential for fuel spillage to occur under certain circumstances. Work
                    conducted by industry indicated that this concern applies to existing fuel tanks as
                    well as those built to comply with EPA's evaporative emission design standard,

                    EPA engaged the industry to identify a simple, safe, and emissions neutral solution
                    to this fuel spillage concern. EPA has taken direct final action to make technical
                    amendments to the design standard for portable tanks that will allow for this solution.
                    In addition, we are incorporating safe recommended practices, developed through
                    industry consensus, for portable marine fuel tanks. This action is emissions neutral
                    with regard to diurnal emissions. To the extent that it helps prevent fuel spillage,
                    incorporating safe recommended practices results in a net benefit to the environment
                    and leads to fuel savings.
SEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
                  EPA-420-F-10-047
                   September 2010

-------
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 iden-
tified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2010-0270 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.gov/otaq/marinesi.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

-------