Working in cooperation with the marine industry, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed the nation's first emissions standards for reducing exhaust pollution from new gasoline and diesel-powered marine engines. Currently there are l2 million marine engines in the United States. For non-road sources, only lawn and garden engines emit higher levels of HC according to a l99l EPA study and only farm and construction equipment emit higher levels of NOx. HC and NOx produce ground-level ozone, which irritates the respiratory track causing chest pain and lung inflammation.
Ozone can also aggravate existing respiratory conditions such as asthma.
These standards will improve air quality across the nation, protect public health, and result in a new, more efficient generation of marine engines. These advances could not be possible without the expertise and cooperation of the marine engine industry. Nichols said in addition to being less polluting, the next generation of marine engines is expected to have added benefits of improved performance, easier starting and faster acceleration, better fuel economy, and less noise, odor and smoke. Separate standards are proposed for sterndrive and inboard engines which have some components similar to those used in automobiles and light trucks, but are adapted for marine use. The emission reduction standards, which would be corporate average standards with inter-industry trading allowed, would reduce HC emissions 75 percent.