[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28401-28404]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13246]



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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-5212-8]


Retrofit/Rebuild Requirements for 1993 and Earlier Model Year 
Urban Buses; Approval of an Application for Certification of Equipment

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of Agency approval of an application for equipment 
certification.

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SUMMARY: The Agency received an application dated August 2, 1994 from 
the Engelhard Corporation (Engelhard) with principal place of business 
at 101 Wood Avenue, Iselin, New Jersey for certification of urban bus 
retrofit/rebuild equipment pursuant to 40 CFR 85.1401-85.1415. On 
September 16, 1994 EPA published notification that the application had 
been received and made the application available for public review and 
comment for a period of 45 days (59 FR 47581). EPA has completed its 
review of this application and the Director of the Manufacturers 
Operations Division has determined that it meets all the requirements 
for certification. Accordingly, EPA approves the certification of this 
equipment effective May 31, 1995.
    The candidate equipment provides a 25 percent or greater reduction 
in emissions of particulate matter (PM) for certain petroleum fueled 
diesel engines relative to the original engine configuration and on 
engines that have been retrofit/rebuilt with certified new rebuild kits 
that do not include aftertreatment devices. In addition, this equipment 
will be offered to all parties for $2,151 or less (2,000 or less in 
1992 dollars). The certification of this equipment triggers 
requirements for all operators utilizing Program 1 that have engines in 
their fleet that are covered by this certification.

ADDRESSES: The Engelhard application, as well as other materials 
specifically relevant to it, are contained in Public Docket A-93-42, 
entitled ``Certification of Urban Bus Retrofit/Rebuild Equipment''. 
This docket is located in room M-1500, Waterside Mall (Ground Floor), 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 401 M Street SW., Washington, DC 
20460.
    Docket items may be inspected from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m., 
Monday through Friday. As provided in 40 CFR Part 2, a reasonable fee 
may be charged by the Agency for copying docket materials.

DATES: The date of this document May 31, 1995 is the official 
certification date for this application. The equipment is immediately 
available for installation.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anthony Erb, Technical Support Branch, 
Manufacturers Operations Division (6405J), U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency, 401 M St. SW., Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: 
(202) 233-9259.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

    On August 2, 1994 Engelhard submitted an application under EPA's 
Urban Bus/Retrofit program <SUP>1 for certification of a catalytic 
converter muffler (CCM) for use on 2-cycle and 4-cycle petroleum fueled 
diesel urban bus engines for 1993 and earlier model years. Engelhard 
has since withdrawn the 4-cycle engines from consideration pending 
development of additional test data. [[Page 28402]] 

    \1\ EPA promulgated the Retrofit/Rebuild Requirements for 1993 
and Earlier Model Year Urban Buses on April 23, 1993 (58 FR 21359). 
This final rule established the provisions for an urban bus 
retrofit/rebuild program as required by section 219(d) of the Clean 
Air Act Amendments (CAAA) of 1990.
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    The CCM functions as a catalytic converter and a muffler. It takes 
the place of the original muffler in the engine exhaust system. 
Engelhard documented that the candidate equipment provides a 25 percent 
or greater reduction in emissions of particulate matter (PM) for 
petroleum fueled diesel heavy-duty urban bus engines as listed in Table 
A.

                                          Table A. Certification Levels                                         
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            PM level                                            
                                                              with                                              
                                                            standard                                            
                Engine model                  Model year  rebuild and        Code           Family designation  
                                                          addition of                                           
                                                              CCM                                               
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DDC 6V92TA MUI.............................    1979-1987      \1\ .38  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V92TA MUI.............................    1988-1989          .22  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V92TA MUI.............................    1979-1989      \2\ .18  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V92TA DDEC I..........................    1986-1989          .23  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V92TA DDEC II.........................    1988-1991          .23  ALL.............  ALL                    
                                                    1992          .19  ALL.............  ALL                    
[[Page 28403]]
                                                                                                                
                                                    1993          .19  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V71N..................................    1973-1989          .38  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6V71T..................................    1985-1986          .38  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 8V71N..................................    1973-1984          .38  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6L71TA.................................         1990          .44  ALL.............  ALL                    
                                               1988-1989          .23  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC 6L71TA DDEC............................    1990-1991          .23  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC-8V-92TA................................    1979-1987          .40  ALL.............  8V-92TA                
                                                    1988          .29  ALL.............  ALL                    
DDC-8V-92TA-DD.............................         1988          .31  ALL.............  8V-92TA-DDEC II        
DDC-8V-92TA................................         1989          .35  9E70............  KDD0736FW8 9           
DDC-8V-92TA................................         1989          .29  9A90............  KDD0736FW8 9           
DDC-8V-92TA................................         1989          .26  9G85............  KDD0736FW8 9           
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................         1989          .31  1A..............  KDD0736FZH 4           
DDC-8V-92TA................................         1990          .35  9E70............  LDD0736FAH 9           
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................         1990          .37  1A..............  LDD0736FZH 3           
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................         1991          .19  1A OR 5A........  MDD0736FZH 2           
DDC-8V-92TA................................    1992-1993          .16  1D..............  NDD0736FZH 1 &         
                                                                                          PDD0736FZH X          
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................    1992-1993          .22  6A..............  NDD0736FZH 1 &         
                                                                                          PDD0736FZH X          
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................    1992-1993          .15  5A..............  NDD0736FZH 1 &         
                                                                                          PDD0736FZH X          
DDC-8V-92TA-DDEC...........................    1992-1993          .19  1A..............  NDD0736FZH 1 &         
                                                                                          PDD0736FZH X          
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\1\ To attain these levels of PM reduction engines must be rebuilt to original manufacturers specifications, or 
  in cases where the operator finds the engines meet certain performance specifications as stated by Engelhard  
  in the instructions to purchasers of the CCM kit, rebuild of the engine in order to claim the listed PM       
  reduction would not be required. This applies to all engines listed in the table with the exception of those  
  covered by footnote 2.                                                                                        
\2\ If the CCM is installed on these engines after rebuild using the ``Engelhard Emission Rebuild/Retrofit Kit''
  in conjunction with the CCM, the emission level certified to by Engelhard is 0.18 g/bhp-hr PM.                

  Emission test results supplied by Engelhard in the application are 
shown in Table B. The test data show a greater than 25% reduction in 
PM. Hydrocarbon (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), oxides of nitrogen 
(NO<INF>x) and smoke emissions were within the applicable emission 
standards with the CCM installed.

                            Table B.--Certification Emission Test Results (GM/BHP-HR)                           
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                                                                             Baseline                           
                                                                Baseline      engine                            
                                                                 engine       before      Baseline     Rebuilt  
                                                                 before      rebuild      rebuilt    engine with
                                                                rebuild        with        engine      catalyst 
                                                                             catalyst                           
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HC..........................................................         1.19         0.64         0.48         0.24
CO..........................................................         2.53         1.32         1.53         1.00
NO<INF>X.........................................................         9.55         9.70        10.31        10.46
PM..........................................................         0.87         0.51         0.21         0.15
Smoke Test..................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
Accel.......................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........         6.0%
Lug.........................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........         3.4%
Peak........................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........         7.6%
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    Urban bus operators who choose to comply with Program 1 will be 
required to use this equipment (or other equipment certified in the 
meantime) beginning six months after the date of this certification 
approval. Urban bus operators who choose to comply with Program 2 and 
use the Engelhard equipment will use the PM emissions values from Table 
A when calculating their average fleet PM level.
    The emission levels of the Engelhard rebuild kit will be used to 
modify the Program 2 post rebuild levels in July 1996.

II. Summary and Analysis of Comments

    EPA received a variety of comments on the Engelhard application 
during the comment period. The comments generally fall into the areas 
of equipment effects and design, durability and cost. Copies of the 
original comments are to be found in EPA Docket A-93-42.
    An abbreviated summary of the major comments is provided below. 
Additional discussion of comments for this decision can be found in the 
Final Decision Document for the Engelhard Application #1 (FDDEA1) which 
has been placed in Docket A-93-42. A limited number of copies of the 
FDDEA1 are also available form the contact person listed above (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    The most frequently raised concern among commenters was the effect 
of the [[Page 28404]] CCM on engine backpressure and the effect the 
backpressure could have on the remaining life of the engine.
    Backpressure with the CCM installed will generally be higher than 
the backpressure with the original muffler. However, Engelhard has 
designed the CCM to ensure that the engine manufacturer's maximum 
allowable backpressure will not be exceeded for any engine/exhaust 
combination. Since backpressure will remain below the manufacturer's 
allowable limit, EPA does not believe that engine life will be 
diminished as a result of installing a CCM. Furthermore, Engelhard has 
recently reconfigured the catalyst that will be marketed under this 
program to provide a lower backpressure as compared to the catalyst 
used in the certification test.
    Catalyst sizing, packaging and installation applicability were 
raised as issues by several commenters. Specifically, commenters 
questioned whether the catalyst would be adequately packaged to fit the 
wide range of engines and bus models, and whether proper installation 
and mounting hardware would be available for each combination of bus /
engine.
    Clear instructions and proper installation for each bus/engine 
combination will be required to ensure proper operation of the CCM. 
Engelhard has designed specific installation instructions and hardware 
for most applications already. The CCM takes the place of the muffler 
in the exhaust system and each kit will contain all components 
necessary to complete the installation. Engelhard continues to work 
with operators to develop appropriate hardware and packaging for 
specific applications.
    The last major group of comments centered around life cycle cost of 
the CCM. One commenter proposed that field data be collected to support 
fuel economy impact claims contained in the application for 
certification. Another commenter noted that operators might use the 
equipment beyond the 150,000 mile useful life, and questioned how the 
costs associated with use beyond 150,000 miles are accounted for in the 
life cycle cost.
    Regarding field data to demonstrate fuel economy claims, the 
regulations do not require that life cycle fuel cost be calculated 
using field data. At the time of application for certification, a 
certifier that is applying for certification within life cycle cost 
limitations must provide information on the fuel economy impact of 
rebuild/retrofit equipment. Engelhard provided brake-specific fuel 
consumption (BSFC) data from transient tests performed on a baseline 
engine and on an engine equipped with a CCM. This data shows the BSFC 
difference between these tests to be within normal test to test 
variability, and EPA does not find that this equipment will have an 
impact on fuel economy.
    Regarding the second comment, operators may indeed continue to use 
certified equipment beyond the statutory useful-life of 150,000 miles. 
However, for the purpose of calculating life cycle costs, only those 
costs incurred within the useful-life are relevant. Operators who 
operate equipment beyond the useful-life are responsible for costs to 
maintain the equipment in proper operating condition, and assume in-use 
emissions performance liability.

III. Certification Approval

    The Agency has reviewed this application, along with comments 
received from the interested parties, and finds that this application 
meets the requirements for certification under the Retrofit/Rebuild 
Requirements for 1993 and Earlier Model Year Urban Buses (40 CFR 
85.1401 and 85.1415). Thus, the Agency hereby approves the 
certification of this equipment.

IV. Operator Requirements and Responsibilities

    Operators who have chosen to comply with Program 1 will be required 
to utilize this equipment for any engines that are listed in Table A 
that undergo rebuild on or after December 1, 1995. Under Program 2, 
this equipment is immediately available to operators for use and those 
who use this certified kit may claim the PM emissions reduction as 
stated in Table A when calculating their Fleet Level Attained.
    As stated in the regulations, operators should maintain records for 
each engine in their fleet to demonstrate that they are in compliance 
with either program 1 or program 2 beginning in January 1, 1995. These 
records include purchase records, receipts, and part numbers for the 
parts and components used in the rebuilding of urban bus engines.

    Dated: May 10, 1995.
Mary D. Nichols,
Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 95-13246 Filed 5-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P