BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1922
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Senator S. Joseph Simitian, Chairman
2011-2012 Regular Session
BILL NO: AB 1922
AUTHOR: Lara
AMENDED: May 2, 2012
FISCAL: Yes HEARING DATE: July 2, 2012
URGENCY: No CONSULTANT: Randy Pestor
SUBJECT : HEAVY-DUTY VEHICLE SMOKE EMISSIONS
SUMMARY :
Existing law :
1) Under vehicular air pollution control requirements (Public
Resources Code �43701):
a) Require the Air Resources Board (ARB) to adopt
regulations requiring owners or operators of heavy-duty
diesel motor vehicles to perform regular inspections of
their vehicles for excessive smoke emissions.
b) Require ARB to specify the inspection procedure,
frequency of inspections, emission standards for smoke,
and actions the vehicle owner or operator is required to
take to remedy excessive smoke emissions.
2) Under regulations implementing the above requirements:
a) Defines "fleet" to be a group of 2 or more heavy-duty
diesel-powered vehicles that are owned or operated by
the same agency or entity. (13 Cal. Code of Regs.
�2191(a)(1)).
b) Provides a phased schedule for testing fleets of 5 or
more vehicles. (13 Cal. Code of Regs. �2193(a)).
c) Requires a vehicle to be tested within 12 months of
the previous test, including those vehicles that are
part of a fleet of five or more vehicles tested on the
above phased schedule. (13 Cal. Code of Regs.
AB 1922
Page 2
�2193(c)).
This bill , under vehicular air pollution control requirements,
requires a fleet, on or before December 31 of each year, to
complete its required smoke opacity inspections and any
necessary repairs for that calendar year.
COMMENTS :
1) Purpose of Bill . According to the author, "AB 1922 will
provide fleet owners of heavy duty vehicles with a
streamlined maintenance process by allowing them to perform
the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP) on their heavy
duty engines within a calendar year."
2) Meeting all requirements annually ? AB 1922 requires a
fleet to "complete its required opacity inspections and any
necessary repairs for the calendar year" by December 31 of
each year. As noted above, fleets of 5 or more vehicles
are currently tested based on a phased schedule specified
in regulations, and annually thereafter. These phased
schedules should assist larger fleet owners and the phasing
is based on "at least" a specified number of vehicles for
each phase. Therefore, current law provides flexibility to
a fleet owner to have vehicles inspected at the same time
or at certain intervals.
If all vehicles are to be inspected by the end of each year,
potentially several vehicles in a larger fleet may not be
tested within 12 months of the previous inspection.
While AB 1922 requires a fleet to "complete its required smoke
opacity inspections and any necessary repairs for that
calendar year" - the periodic smoke inspection program
requires more than an opacity inspection and repair. For
example, smoke emissions must be measured, smoke test
opacity levels and other required test information must be
recorded, vehicle repair information must be recorded, a
post-repair test must be conducted to determine if the
vehicle complies with the smoke opacity standard, and there
must be additional repairs to achieve compliance.
AB 1922
Page 3
If the Committee believes this bill is necessary, then
clarification is necessary to ensure that all periodic
smoke inspection requirements are met for all fleet
vehicles by fleet owners or operators. Also, a definition
for "fleet" for purposes of the provision in this bill is
needed.
3) Technical amendment needed . Due to an amendment in the
introduced version of AB 1922, clarification is needed by
striking "GVWR" on page 3, line 10, and inserting: "gross
vehicle weight rating (GVWR)".
SOURCE : California Trucking Association
SUPPORT : California Construction Trucking Association,
California Tow Truck Association
OPPOSITION : None on file.