CARB Approves New Forklift Emissions Rule
by: Gerald Medford, CMH Services Training Director
In May of this year the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted to adopt more stringent emission standards and test procedures for forklifts and similar off road industrial equipment with large spark ignition (LSI) engines.
So how does that affect South Carolina? Generally when we see tougher and more stringent regulations in California, it’s not long before those same regulations are applied in South Carolina. New England and Massachusetts are already gearing up for these regulations, so I guess you could say it is just a matter of time before we see these same requirements here in our state.
The new rules, which are the toughest in the nation, have two elements. The first requires forklift engine manufacturers to meet more rigorous emission limits for new forklifts sold, while the second requires operators of existing forklifts to reduce emissions by retrofit, or replacement of the engines or equipment with cleaner models. These rules are designed to reduce smog-forming hydrocarbon and NOx (oxides of oxygen) emissions by 5.6 tons per day in 2010 and 6.2 tons per day by 2020, equivalent to removing 200,000 cars from the road.
Most forklift engines built since 1990 can be retrofitted with a catalytic converter that reduces emissions by 75 percent. Forklift operators will be required to retrofit existing forklifts or replace them with newer, lower emission models by 2009. Some forklift operators may also be eligible for funding if they move quickly to clean up their fleet.
Although we may not be directly affected by this new requirement today, soon the entire nation will feel the effects of the new rules, so a proactive approach would be in our best interest. We should inspect our trucks now and try to rotate the older units out of our fleet so we won’t be caught off guard. As we learn more about retrofitting our existing forklifts with the catalytic converters we will pass this information on to you.
Keeping our customers informed of new rules and regulations is another way CMH Services adheres to our mission: to actively partner with our customers to provide them with the best performing material handling equipment at the lowest total cost of ownership.