Small Engine Rule To Bring Emissions Cuts
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a new proposal that sets strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment.
By CleanLink Editorial Staff
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a new proposal that sets strict standards for most lawn and garden equipment.
The proposal is groundbreaking in several areas. To meet the new exhaust emission standards, manufacturers are expected to use catalytic converters for the first time ever in many types of small lawn and garden equipment, as well as small watercraft. After rigorous analysis and extensive work with diverse stakeholders, EPA determined that such a strategy was feasible and safe. This proposed rule also includes the first ever fuel evaporative standards for all the types of equipment covered in the rulemaking.
Americans spend more than three billion hours per year using lawn and garden equipment. Currently, a push mower can emit as much hourly pollution as 11 cars and a riding mower emits as much as 34 cars. With this proposed rule, non-road gasoline-powered engines, such as those used in lawn and garden equipment, would see an additional 35 percent reduction in HC and NOx emissions beyond a 60 percent reduction that finished phasing in last year under an earlier rulemaking. Those engines would also see a 45 percent reduction in fuel evaporative emissions.
The total estimated public health benefits of this rule are about $3.4 billion by 2030. These benefits would prevent 450 premature deaths, 500 hospitalizations, and 52,000 work days lost annually. When fully implemented, EPA expects that technology needed to meet the standard will have the added benefit of saving about 190 million gallons of fuel annually.
The estimated costs of the new standards range from $9.5 million in 2008 to $620 million in 2037. These control costs are partially offset by estimated annual fuel savings of about $360 million in 2037 once standards are fully implemented. As a result, the net cost of the program in each year ranges from $6.4 million in 2008 to $260 million in 2037.
The new standards would apply as early as 2011 for most lawn and garden equipment under 25 horsepower.
Comments are due Aug. 3, 2007. The proposal and information about how to submit comments are at
www.epa.gov/otaq/equip-ld.htm .
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