VOL. 55 ISSUE 43 OCTOBER 30, 2018 P31
standards year by year. In order
to meet these standards, manu-
facturers can also certify to a
fleet averaging exhaust standard,
which means they can include
zero-emissions vehicles to offset
their heavier offenders.
THE RESPONSE
As it stands, the proposal aims to
begin in model year 2022, which
has a lot of manufacturers very
worried. "It's not enough time.
Not by manufacturing stan-
dards," said one representative
at the October 23 hearing. Some
manufacturers are even con-
cerned that under the proposed
plan, they would not be able to
import OHMCs into California in
2022 at all, as their 2022 model
lines are already fixed. Another
representative at the hearing
referred to the proposal as a
"two-stroke killer," and joined in
the pleas for more time to imple-
ment cleaner exhaust standards,
saying "two-strokes are dirty, we
get it. But the oils used today
are much cleaner than the ones
used 30 years ago. We have oil
injection, and fuel injection is
coming. We're getting cleaner,
but we need time to get there
without totally killing our indus-
try."
While the manufacturers are
pleading for more time, oth-
ers are taking a harder stance,
such as Dave Pickett, Legisla-
tive Director of AMA District 36
Motorcycle Sport Committee.
Pickett, who has been very close
to the issue since its beginning,
maintains that the entire proposal
is based on flawed information
obtained by CARB, and is calling
for new research.
"We were promised from day
one that 'absolute science' was
going to mandate this process,"
Pickett declared in the hearing,
adding that CARB has "failed to
produce documents" to back up
its research on which its revised
emissions standards are based.
"My organization is frustrated
that promises were not kept,"
Pickett said.
"That's not science. That's poli-
tics."
CARB representatives re-
sponded by saying they "did
their best" to obtain objective
research, and that they are
working hard to "maintain model
availability while reducing emis-
sions" by presenting manufactur-
ers with certification alternatives
and pathways.
THE EXEMPTION
The good news is that CARB will
allow for a Competition Exemp-
tion. These competition exempt
models will be closed-course-on-
ly OHMCs, and not be allowed
on public trails. They will not
have any emissions standards to
meet, and will not be included in
fleet averaging.
How the sale of competition-
only dirt bikes is defined and
regulated is yet to be seen
(which reveals a substantial hole
in the current proposal). There
is a separate committee within
CARB that working to define the
category, which will apply to not
just OHMCs, but all competition
vehicles, from trucks and UTVs
to motorcycles and boats. (Cycle
News report, July 2017: "CARB
Racing Vehicle Definition Work-
shop")
This is another issue that
has the OHV industry on high
alert, with the aftermarket crowd
particularly wary of what stricter
competition rules will mean for
business.
CARB representatives did say,
however, that they had no plans
to cap the volume of competi-
tion-only units that manufacturers
are allowed to sell. They seem
to be banking on the notion that
more people will want multi-use
OHMCs rather than faster, lighter
competition models.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Manufacturers have until Novem-
ber 1 to submit additional cost
estimates (so CARB can evalu-
ate economic impact). CARB
says they are close to finalizing
the proposal, meaning they are
pretty happy with it and don't in-
tent to change the major points,
but in light of the objections from
manufacturers, they say they are
"still open to massaging this."
The proposal is scheduled to be
presented to the board on Feb-
ruary 21, 2019. From that point,
there will be a 45-day public
comment period.
Stay tuned to Cycle News
for more updates as this issue
progresses.
Jean Turner
