Air board reviews engine registration
By Darrell Smith - Bee Staff Writer Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Facing complaints from dozens of small-business owners in California's construction industry, state officials are considering reopening a disputed registration program for portable, diesel-powered engines and equipment…
…Late last year, the board closed its equipment registration program, the portable equipment registration program known as PERP, leaving hundreds of small-business owners facing fines or with equipment they couldn't legally use in California…
…To improve the state's air quality standards, Air Resources Board staffers have proposed banning older engines built before 2004 from PERP registration.
But replacing those engines would be prohibitive, according to several officials representing the Construction Air Quality Coalition, which includes the four largest Southern California construction industry associations. The coalition proposed that older, so-called "Tier 0" engines remain eligible for use in California until 2009…
…Construction industry leaders have said that hundreds of diesel-power equipment operators were unaware of the state's earlier registration deadlines. By not extending the deadline to legally operate, the state could cripple the construction industry because it relies on so many of these equipment operators, they say.
