Scrap Handling Equipment Focus--Next Stop

COMMENT CARDS. The mandated levels of emissions reduction for Tier 4 were announced by the EPA in 2003, with the required comment period taking place in June of that year.

Industry trade groups were among those who provided such comments to the EPA, including the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), a Milwaukee-based trade group representing manufacturers of construction, agricultural and other off-road equipment.

During the comment period, the group expressed support for the clean-air goals of the EPA, but also spelled out the "regulatory implementation challenges which equipment manufacturers face," relative to "technological feasibility and cost-effectiveness," as well as their preference for global alignment of the EPA regulations with those in Europe and Japan.

"Our members are committed to meeting the market’s demand for off-road equipment that also has reduced emissions," stated then-AEM President Dennis Slater. "The EPA rule builds on the excellent progress achieved between industry and government but will require continued collaborative efforts to ensure that fuel, engines, emissions controls systems and equipment all come together to provide value to the owners and users of equipment."

The group also trumpeted its success in working with the EPA up to that point, noting that between 2001 and 2003 "there has been an estimated 93 percent combined reduction in nitrogen oxide (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions for some equipment types."

In a presentation at a spring 2004 Joint Technical Liasion Meeting held between AEM and two European machinery trade groups, then-AEM Standards Coordinator Stan Mullins reported that the U.S. EPA showed genuine interest in the comments it received relative to Tier 4 emissions. "However, to the best AEM has been able to determine, the proposed rule is basically staying in tact."

LEAD TIME. In another presentation at the 2004 European meeting, Gene Kielb of Bobcat Co., West Fargo, N.D., noted that the amount of lead time required to meet emission standards is often a concern for equipment makers.

On its Web site, AEM comments upon "concerns with the direct transferability of on-road technologies to the off-road industry, resource issues and timeframes for adoption."

In a news release that accompanied the final version of the rules, issued in May of 2004, then-EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt expressed confidence that manufacturers would be able to meet the Tier 4 standards and presented the final rules as representing a partnership between government and the private sector.

"We are going to make that burst of black smoke that erupts from diesels a thing of the past," Leavitt said. "We’re able to accomplish this in large part because of a masterful collaboration with engine and equipment manufacturers, the oil industry, state officials and the public health and environmental communities.

The stricter standards will ultimately help the environment of the United States and the health of its people, the agency has stated.

The positive effects will cumulate over time as the newer, cleaner-burning engines replace the older ones that have been powering America’s off-road equipment during the previous decades, according to the EPA news release.

"When the full inventory of older non-road engines has been replaced, the non-road diesel program will annually prevent up to 12,000 premature deaths, 1 million lost work days, 15,000 heart attacks and 6,000 children’s asthma-related emergency room visits," the agency calculates.

CLEAN CONSCIENCE. Although the improvements will come at a cost to equipment buyers, the EPA has estimated that ultimately that cost will be minimal. "The anticipated costs vary with the size and complexity of the equipment but are in the range of 1 to 3 percent of the total purchase price for most equipment categories," the agency’s news release states.