+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/159** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 14 December 2005  |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (05-5947)         |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | State of California,      |   |                                 |
| ** | United States of America  |   |                                 |
|    | (162)                     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | U.S. WTO TBT Inquiry      |   |                                 |
|    | Point\                    |   |                                 |
|    | National Center for       |   |                                 |
|    | Standards and             |   |                                 |
|    | Certification             |   |                                 |
|    | Information\              |   |                                 |
|    | National Institute of     |   |                                 |
|    | Standards and Technology\ |   |                                 |
|    | 100 Bureau Drive,         |   |                                 |
|    | MS-2160\                  |   |                                 |
|    | Gaithersburg, MD          |   |                                 |
|    | 20899-2160                |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Telephone: 301-975-4040\  |   |                                 |
|    | Fax: 301-926-1559\        |   |                                 |
|    | Email: ncsci@nist.gov\    |   |                                 |
|    | Internet:                 |   |                                 |
|    | h                         |   |                                 |
|    | ttp://www.nist.gov/ncsci/ |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[**   **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:** 3.2 |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Motor vehicles            |   |                                 |
|    | (HS:  Chapter 87; ICS:    |   |                                 |
|    | 13.040)                   |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Heavy-Duty Smoke          |   |                                 |
|    | Emissions Test and        |   |                                 |
|    | Heavy-Duty Vehicle        |   |                                 |
|    | Emissions Control System  |   |                                 |
|    | Inspections (7 Pages, in  |   |                                 |
|    | English)                  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** On 29          |   |                                 |
| ** | September 2004, Assembly  |   |                                 |
|    | Bill 1009 (AB1009) was    |   |                                 |
|    | signed into law, amending |   |                                 |
|    | Health and Safety Code    |   |                                 |
|    | Section 43701. The        |   |                                 |
|    | amendments require ARB to |   |                                 |
|    | develop and implement, in |   |                                 |
|    | consultation with the     |   |                                 |
|    | California Highway        |   |                                 |
|    | Patrol, regulations to    |   |                                 |
|    | ensure that heavy-duty    |   |                                 |
|    | commercial vehicles       |   |                                 |
|    | (HDCVs) operating in      |   |                                 |
|    | California are equipped   |   |                                 |
|    | with engines that, at the |   |                                 |
|    | time of manufacture, met  |   |                                 |
|    | standards that were at    |   |                                 |
|    | least as stringent as     |   |                                 |
|    | emission standards        |   |                                 |
|    | promulgated by the United |   |                                 |
|    | States Environmental      |   |                                 |
|    | Protection Agency (U. S.  |   |                                 |
|    | EPA). In adopting AB      |   |                                 |
|    | 1009, the Legislature     |   |                                 |
|    | found that heavy-duty     |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles equipped with    |   |                                 |
|    | engines emitting greater  |   |                                 |
|    | levels of oxides of       |   |                                 |
|    | nitrogen (NOx) and        |   |                                 |
|    | particulate matter (PM)   |   |                                 |
|    | than those designed to    |   |                                 |
|    | meet standards adopted by |   |                                 |
|    | the U. S. EPA contribute  |   |                                 |
|    | to higher levels of ozone |   |                                 |
|    | and PM, and pose a threat |   |                                 |
|    | to public health in       |   |                                 |
|    | California.               |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | ARB staff's proposal is   |   |                                 |
|    | designed to meet the      |   |                                 |
|    | requirements of the       |   |                                 |
|    | legislation. In           |   |                                 |
|    | developing its proposal,  |   |                                 |
|    | ARB staff met with        |   |                                 |
|    | stakeholders from         |   |                                 |
|    | companies that operate    |   |                                 |
|    | HDCVs in California,      |   |                                 |
|    | representatives from      |   |                                 |
|    | manufacturer-authorized   |   |                                 |
|    | HDCV service providers,   |   |                                 |
|    | representatives from the  |   |                                 |
|    | California Highway        |   |                                 |
|    | Patrol, and other         |   |                                 |
|    | interested parties at     |   |                                 |
|    | public workshops held on  |   |                                 |
|    | 16 May 2005, and 17 June  |   |                                 |
|    | 2005.                     |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:** To    |   |                                 |
|    | protect the environment.  |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | Heavy-Duty Vehicle Border |   |                                 |
| ** | Inspection Program AB     |   |                                 |
|    | 1009 (Pawley 2004)        |   |                                 |
|    | accessible at Internet    |   |                                 |
|    | URL:                      |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | <http://www.arb.ca.gov/   |   |                                 |
|    | msprog/hdvip/bip/bip.htm> |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        |   | To be determined                |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 25 January    |   |                                 |
| 0. | 2006                      |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:      **             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+