Page 228 - Peterson 85 Years and Going Strong

California is the only state in the nation that can regulate above and beyond the federal EPA. It’s home to the toughest clean-air standards in the world.
– Grant Stickney, Emissions Solutions manager, Peterson-Cat
and sump ponds. In their place are state-of-the-art water treatment systems that pre-treat the water before discharge into the sewer or treat it for re- cycled use later. Underground storage tanks have all been removed and replaced with above-ground tanks or containers at every Peterson location. And all Peterson equipment yards are monitored every year to stay within current EPA standards. Along the way, Peterson has won a number of awards for leadership in pollution prevention, environmental management, and waste reduction.
The Federal EPA isn’t the only government agency looking over our shoulders either. California has its own set of rules laid down by CARB—the Cal- ifornia Air Resources Board—that even tops the Feds. They’ve made doing business in California a lot more complicated and expensive. Today’s emis- sions regulations are rooted in the Clean Air Act of 1970, which gave the federal government juris- diction over the nation’s air quality. That same year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was
formed to regulate and enforce those mandates. Each decade has brought new laws to counter the effects of industrial living on our environment. And each time, those regulations become tighter and tighter, creating a paradox for businesses try- ing to balance growth and sustainability with the environment and political correctness. “The regu- lations we’re facing today stem from California’s Diesel Risk Reduction Plan of 1998, which iden- tified diesel particulate matter as a carcinogen,” explains Grant Stickney, Peterson’s Emissions Solutions manager. “California is the only state in the nation that can regulate above and beyond the federal EPA. So everyone is watching us.”
CARB’S OFF-ROAD TIER SYSTEM
In 1996, the EPA established tier-designations for diesel engines that would pave a path toward smoke-free engines by 2020. Eleven years later, on July 26, 2007, CARB adopted a regulation to reduce diesel particulate matter (PM) and nitro- gen oxide (NOx) emissions from off-road diesel vehicles in California. The Drayage Truck Rule hit the same year. “California took it one step fur- ther by requiring people to turn over their engines sooner,” says Stickney. “CARB assigns a lifespan based on your engine by year [trucks] or by tier [off-road]. The tier system is broken down into eight horsepower groups, all with different dead- lines.” And that’s just for starters. Once the diesel particulate matter was reduced 96 percent (Tier 4 interim) they started regulating NOx as well (Tier
226 | PETERSON: 85 YEARS AND GOING STRONG