Statewide Rules Enacted on Diesel Engines

New statewide regulations will require that older stationary diesel powered engines be upgraded or replaced with newer, cleaner engines beginning in 2011.

The new rule requires that all ag diesel motors greater than 15 horsepower be registered with the local air district by March 1, 2008. “Air districts will impose registration application fees and annual maintenance fees on each registered motor, which could run from $30 to $250 per year,” said Gabriele Ludwig, senior manager of Global Technical & Regulatory Affairs for the Almond Board.

In addition, older motors greater than 50 hp would need to be replaced or retrofitted with cleaner technologies. The older Tier 0, which have no emission controls, must be upgraded to Tier 3 or better by Dec 31, 2010. Tier 1 or 2 motors must be upgraded to a Tier 4 or better by Dec. 31, 2014 or 2015 (depending on size) or 12 years after installation (whichever time period is longer).

“To allow the use of Carl Moyer funding for the Tier 0 motors, the normal 3-year compliance period would be limited to 1 to 2 years to allow enough time for growers to obtain the funding,” Ludwig said.

The State Air Resources Board said it expects the change will help reduce particulate matter emissions by 330 tons per year and NOx emissions by 5,800 tons per year. ARB scientists ultimately expect to reduce particulate emissions by 440 tons per year and to cut as much as 8,100 tons per year of nitrogen oxides by 2022, when the rule is fully implemented.

“In essence, the ARB is taking what the San Joaquin Valley Air district has required and is extending it statewide,” Ludwig said. “This is a major change, as growers are now being impacted in areas where the air quality is not considered that poor.”

Exemptions to the new rule are permitted for emergency motors, such as those used for frost protection or as back up for electrical motors, and in remote locations.

Ludwig said concern was expressed at public meetings about the ability of the Carl Moyer Program to cover the costs of replacement, especially in areas with lower populations. Many farmers have relied on the Carl Moyer Program to help cover some costs of upgrading older, polluting engines. Under the current allocation system, only 8 to 10 motors could be subsidized based on the amount of money available in a rural county.

“There was also grave concern expressed by both grower groups and the air districts about the amount of resources it will take to communicate to growers the need to comply with this regulation. Many parts of the state without major air quality problems are not used to ag being regulated by ARB,” she said.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Quality District has also ruled that it will require registration of ag motors used by “smaller farming operations,” defined as operations that release less than 12.5 tons of NOx per year. These smaller operations since 2004 have been exempt from registration requirements for stationary diesel motors greater than 50 hp. Now, however, smaller growers will also be required to pay a one-time registration fee and annual maintenance on stationary engines.