Beginning in May 2007, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) has been in front of the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) effort to reduce and enforce lower standards of emissions from off-road diesel engines already in use in the construction industry. With the help of AGC of California and the San Diego Chapter, and additional financial assistance from chapters nationwide, AGC has worked to persuade CARB to amend its rule and EPA to block its enforcement. Now, CARB has invited AGC to the table for help reconciling the emissions data it used to create the rule.
In total, AGC has written to the EPA seven times, petitioned CARB twice, and twice presented data to CARB showing that the data it has used to create the rule is flawed. Additionally, AGC has hosted media events in California to draw attention to this issue, leading to lengthy articles in The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, San Diego Daily Transcript, Engineering News-Record and The Daily Reporter, as well as the Sacramento ABC station.
In response, CARB admitted that its data was off, albeit only by a factor of 1.4 to 2, but did agree to consider amendments to the rule and further delay enforcement. AGC recently submitted additional comments to EPA on the rule and is awaiting a September meeting during which CARB will decide how to proceed. In the meantime, they have asked AGC to meet to reconcile its data with AGC’s findings.
AGC and its chapters have borne the entire cost in its ongoing three-year effort to reverse the off-road diesel rule. Because AGC has found that 32 states are poised to implement California’s controversial effort to drastically reduce contractor fleets and impose impossible costs on struggling firms, this investment has proven necessary to the livelihood of AGC members nationwide.
