United States Air and Radiation EPA420-F-96-013
Environmental Protection August 1996
Agency
Office of Mobile Sources
&EPA Environmental
Fact Sheet
Emission Standards for New
Spark-Ignition Marine Engines
Information for the Marine Industry
The cooperative efforts of marine engine manufacturers has
led the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue
cost-effective regulations for achieving an unprecedented 75
percent reduction in hydrocarbon (HC) emissions from new
gasoline marine engines by the year 2025. These emission
standards, which will affect outboard and personal watercraft
engines, will be phased-in over a nine year period beginning in
model year 1998.
Overview
EPA is issuing regulations for the control of exhaust emissions from
new spark-ignition (SI) gasoline marine engines, including outboard
engines, personal watercraft engines, and jet boat engines. Both
domestic and foreign manufacturers producing engines for sale in the
United States are potentially responsible for compliance with these
regulations. Once the program is fully implemented, manufacturers
of these engines must demonstrate to EPA that HC emissions are
reduced by 75 percent from present levels, by testing engines
representative of the product line before sale and after use.
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HC contributes to ground level ozone which is known to cause a
range of human pulmonary and respiratory health effects, including
chest pain, coughing, and shortness of breath. Controlling emissions
from these engines will help reduce adverse health and welfare
impacts associated with ozone.
Study Indicates need for Action
Until recently, emissions from nonroad engines and vehicles have
been essentially uncontrolled. The Clean Air Act Amendments
(CAA) of 1990, for the first time, granted EPA the authority to
regulate these sources. Under the direction of the CAA, EPA
completed a study of nonroad emissions which concluded that
nonroad HC emissions in total are 10 percent of the urban
summertime inventory of HC from all sources (see Figure 1).
Other
57%
Figure 1- Urban Summertime Hydrocarbons: All
Sources
Marine engines in particular contribute significantly to air quality
problems throughout the United States. Of nonroad sources, EPA
determined one of the largest contributors of HC emissions to be
gasoline marine engines. As illustrated in Figure 2, recreational
marine engines are 30 percent of the nonroad portion. With this
finding, the CAA directed EPA to promulgate regulations to control
air pollution from marine engines.
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Small Spark-
Figure 2 - Nonroad Sources of Hydrocarbons
Cooperative Efforts from the Marine Industry
This rulemaking is a prime example of EPA and industry working
together cooperatively to introduce regulations that achieve
substantial emission reductions from nonroad engine sources while
providing manufacturers with the flexibility to achieve the required
reductions based on market demand. The resulting standards will
encourage a wide range of new outboard and personal watercraft
(OB/PWC) products. With the input and support from the marine
industry, EPA has developed a program that is not expected to be
overly burdensome or costly in the manufacturing and selling of
these new technologies. Manufacturers will have many options for
achieving compliance, which include converting current OB/PWC
2-stroke engine technology to 4-stroke, direct-injection 2-stroke, or
possibly equipping engines with catalytic converters in some
applications.
Emission
Standards
Highlights of the Regulations
Unlike sterndrive and inboard (SD/I) gasoline marine engines, the
majority of OB/PWC (including jet boat) engines currently utilize
2-stroke technology that emits high rates of HC exhaust emissions.
Due to the inherent low emissions of SD/I engines, EPA is only
imposing emission standards for OB/PWC engines.
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The OB/PWC program requires increasing stringent HC control over
the course of a nine-year phase-in period beginning in model year
1998. By the end of the phase-in, each manufacturer must meet an
HC+NOx (oxides of nitrogen) emission standard on a corporate
average basis that represents a 75 percent reduction in HC compared
to unregulated levels. The emission standard allows the manufactur-
ers and the market to determine the best way to achieve the targeted
reductions over time by allowing the manufacturer to decide the type
of control technologies to be applied to each engine family.
Compliance with a corporate average emission standard gives
manufacturers the flexibility to build engines below and above the
emission standard, provided the manufacturer's overall corporate
average is at or below the standard.
These regulations only affect new gasoline OB/PWC engines sold in
the future, beginning in 1998. The standards do not apply to any
engine or boat already owned.
Administrative EPA is finalizing some innovative administrative programs for OB/
Programs PWC appropriately designed in consideration of the unique market
structure and nature of the marine engine industry. The administra-
tive programs are designed to ensure the targeted reductions are met
by making manufacturers responsible for testing engines, reporting
the results to EPA, and demonstrating compliance with the emission
standards.
The pre-production certification program requires all gasoline marine
engine families to be certified by EPA as meeting applicable
emission standards before they are introduced into commerce. EPA
is introducing a proactive approach to quality control for this
industry by requiring manufacturers to be responsible for ensuring
that engines are produced as designed. Manufacturers will comply by
testing engines as they leave the production line, at appropriate
sampling rates, without EPA presence.
The manufacturers will ensure their engines are meeting applicable
emission standards when actually in use by testing a portion of their
fleet each year. EPA has developed an in-use credit program to
provide manufacturers flexibility in addressing potential in-use
noncompliance. EPA is proud to introduce unique, innovate
administrative compliance programs appropriately designed for this
industry.
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Extended
Warranty
Small Volume
Engine Families
Cost
Effectiveness
With the introduction of new technologies comes the cautious
reaction from consumers regarding the reliability of such engines. To
help ensure the manufacturing of a durable emission system and to
help alleviate potential concerns of consumers, EPA is introducing
warranty requirements that will, in effect, double or triple the
warranty time period for those items related to the emission
characteristics of the engine. Major emission control components
and emission related components will be covered by the consumer
warranty.
While manufacturers in this industry tend not to be "small," EPA has
taken measures to reduce the burden on those manufacturers with
smaller volume engine families. Manufacturers can feel at ease that
the regulations provide appropriate flexibility, as the testing and
administrative programs have been designed with such smaller
volume families in mind.
The program is designed to provide manufacturers with the utmost
flexibility for finding the lowest cost solutions to meeting the
emission reduction targets. EPA expects the average costs for OB/
PWC engines will increase modestly, that is, an approximate
increase of 10-15 percent per engine, or $700 for the average power
output engine. EPA is confident that consumers will see this as
negligible when compared to the performance advantages to be
enjoyed by the boat owner from these improved engines. The cost-
effectiveness of the program is estimated at $1000 per ton HC
reduced.
For More Information
EPA encourages additional information be obtained electronically
via the EPA Internet server or via dial-up modem on the Technology
Transfer Network (TTN), an electronic bulletin board system (BBS).
World Wide Web: http://www.epa.gov/OMSWWW
TTN BBS: 919-541-5742 (1200-14400 bps, no parity,
8 data bits, 1 stop bit); voice helpline: 919-541-5384
Information is also available on this rulemaking by calling 313-668-
4333, or writing to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory
2565 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105
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