(Watch Video)
Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. This legislation created sweeping laws that limited emissions into the air.
The current Clean Air Act controls six substances called criteria pollutants. These include: lead, ozone, sulfure oxides, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulate matter.
Two of these are released by diesel engines, particulate matter (which we see as soot) and nitrogen oxides. Nitrogen oxides can combine with sunlight and other substances to create ground level ozone, or smog.
In 1996, The Environmental Protection Agency produced a progressive series of emission standards for all new off-road diesel engines. You may know them as the Tier Emission Standards.
TIER1 1996-1999
TIER2 2001-2004
TIER3 2006-2008
INTERIM TIER4 2011-2013
Right now we are in the Tier 3 and Interim Tier 4 stage, which requires manufacturers to significantly reduce the amount of particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. Final Tier 4 standards will begin in 2013.
The Clean Air Act has also established National Ambient Air Quality Standards. These standards put limits on the amount of criteria pollutants that can be found in the air in any area of the United States. An area that meets these criteria are called attainment areas, areas that don't are called non-attainment areas. Non-attainment areas are important because in areas that do not meet these standards due to industrial activity or dense population, construction practices are effected. Each state has the ability to enforce in-use regulations, bid specs, and green construction sites. This requires contractors to take specific actions to be able to work in specific areas or on specific projects.
Fleets can comply these government mandates with a number of options:
1. Retrofit your current equipment with special filters. Here are some of the retro fit examples from Deere: Particulate Filters, Oxidation Catalysts, BlueMAX SCR, Flow-Through Filters, and Vorteq Active DPF.
2. Replace your current equipment with new equipment that meets the standards. Here is a video of a Interim Tier 4 compliant 744K Loader.
3. Repowering your old equipment with newer engines.
4. Renting compliant equipment.
Minimum bid specs and green construction sites are popping up all over the country. Many states are considering in-use regulations. This places a high importance for fleets to maintain compliance with these standards so as not to miss any opportunity to work on or bid jobs.
Environmental compliance can be a moving target. John Deere is leading the way with their next generation of PowerTech Engines. These engines are already proven leaders in fuel efficiency, power, and reliability. Emission compliance for Interim Tier 4 engines will use exhaust gas recirculation, and diesel particulate filter technologies.
Cooled exhaust gas containing nitrogen oxide is returned to the combustion cylinder where it is reduced (below on left). Particulate matter is trapped in the exhaust system by a diesel particulate filter (below on right).
By the time final Tier 4 standards are in place, emissions should be practically zero.
Contact your territory sales manager for an help evaluating your fleet to determine how these changes in legislation will effect your fleet.
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