U.S. pollution crackdown moves to trains, ships

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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(Colored highlights mine)

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) – Over the years, exhaust-spewing automobiles have been the primary target of tighter emissions standards. This past week, the federal focus moved to ships and trains, whose smokestacks have long belched black soot unhampered by pollution regulations.

The crackdown came from Friday from the Environmental Protection Agency, which proposed a combination of requirements aimed at slashing particulate emissions from diesel locomotives and ship engines by up to 90% and cutting harmful nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 80% by 2030.

The rules, expected to become final by the end of the year, would affect about 21,000 locomotives, 40,000 vessels, and cost roughly $600 million to implement.

According to the EPA, the plan takes a huge step toward combating respiratory illness, eventually saving the nation $12 billion a year in health-care costs. Major port cities like New York, Long Beach and Houston, where railroad lines gather at dockside shipping terminals, stand to benefit the most in terms of improved air quality.

The proposed clean air locomotive and marine diesel rule is the latest step in the government’s wide-ranging effort to clean up diesel engines, which was expanded in 2004 to include construction and farm equipment. Buses and trucks were the first to bow to tighter exhaust rules back in 2000.

At the behest of the railroads, shipping companies and engine manufacturers, the changes will be phased in gradually.

For the railroads, new locomotives must meet the new rules by 2009. Enforcing the stricter requirements for existing locomotives might drag out until 2010, depending on when the industry can

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What about museums, tourist lines, and historical societies?

Any information as to whether they would be “grandfathered in” or conditionally exempt from these rules?

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Someone’s math is not working correctly. 21,000 locomotives * $34,000 per locomotive = $714 million, and that doesn’t even include the vessels yet!

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Try here: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2007/03/02/epa-cuts-diesel-locomotive-and-vessel-pollution

I couldn’t find anything; however, you may have more success.

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I wonder how they will apply it to ships registered in say China, Russia, or a Third World country.

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Flags of convenience (Liberia, Panama, etc.) are as a rule beyond the reach of United States laws and regulations when not in a US port.

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The rule does not apply to foreign flagged vessels.

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I suspect that most of those “40,000 vessels” can be towed behind an SUV.

dd

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As there are only 739 vessels (greater than 10,000 DWT) with US ownership and only 295 vessels that fly the American flag, you must be close to right.

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The number is closer to 30,000 Worldwide

The easiest way to know a ship is over the horizon is to look for a long thin smudge of smoke.

Marine diesels do not recieve good maintainance and they realease a lot of soot when you are at cruising speed.

Kurt.

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What I was wondering about is if the ships would be required to comply with the regulations in order to call at US ports, or if it would only apply to US registered ships.

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I was wondering pretty much the same thing. The US can set regulations for airliners flying in/out of US airports, so I would guess that such a regulation could be enforced to ships coming to US ports or even traversing US territorial waters.

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Any vechile or vessel doing any trade or commerce in the US has to comply with any and ALL laws. Remember this all trucks from foreign countries have to comply with all DOT regs so there is a precedent for the enforcement on these regulations.