US EPA to convene 'FACA' review diesel rule in May

Diesel Fuel News, March 4, 2002 by Jack Peckham

Tempe, Ariz. - U.S. EPA will convene an independent Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) technical review panel on the agency's 2006/7 highway diesel emissions/fuel rule in May, the agency's deputy director Karl Simon told the Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles conference here.

EPA Administrator Christie Whitman promised Congress last year that a FACA review panel would take another look at technical issues including the feasibility of a 15 ppm sulfur ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) to enable the combined nitrogen oxides/particulate matter (NOx/PM) exhaust trap technologies seen likely for 2006-2010 emissions limits.

The final FACA report to Whitman is supposed to be delivered by September.

While a final organizational decision isn't yet clear, it's possible that this FACA panel could be a subcommittee of the well-established Mobile Source Technical Review Subcommittee (MSTRS), a FACA industry/government advisory group that has been tackling diesel issues.

This new review group would be chaired by a non-EPA person, Simon said, although EPA staff typically participate as observers and technical advisors, as has happened with similar diesel panels.

Included in the group would be the usual variety of interests including environmental/health advocates, refiners, engine makers, exhaust catalyst developers, state air pollution regulators and researchers.

According to one MSTRS member we talked to here, this new panel is supposed to be chaired by an independent person, perhaps from academia, or possibly a diesel emissions health-effects researcher that has chaired similar FACA panels (Dan Greenbaum of Health Effects Institute is rumored as a possible candidate).

Meantime, EPA is encouraged by worldwide environmental initiatives that seem to support the agency's tough stance on a 15 ppm sub fur limit for ultra-low-sulfur diesel (ULSD) and emissions reductions, Simon said.

"Canada says they will follow EPA, Europe is moving toward 10 ppm sulfur limits on diesel, and Japan is studying whether to go below 50 ppm limits," he said.

"Despite rumors to the contrary, we support diesels but we want the word 'clean' in front of them. We admit we're pushing the envelope on the NOx side, as Euro-4 is close to the U.S. on PM standards, but not on NOx."

As for EPA's tilt toward "passive" NOx traps over "active" urea-selective catalytic reduction (SCR), this doesn't mean that EPA is mandating any particular technology, he said. "SCR is out there; we don't mandate technology. If someone has a better way to hit our standards, then bring it on.

"Our new standards also will encourage alternative fuels, hybrid-electrics and fleet retrofits," he added.

Meantime, for non-road diesel engines/fuels, EPA expects to announce "Tier 4" standards "by the end of this year," he said. These standards are likely to mimic the 2006/7 heavy-duty highway diesel standards and probably require the same 15 ppm sulfur limit for ULSD.