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This notice provides an update regarding timing for the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB or Board) Proposed Zero-Emission Forklift Regulation (Proposed Regulation). CARB staff plans to release the Public Hearing Notice and related material in October 2023, which would initiate the 45-day public comment period. The notice package will include the Initial Statement of Reasons for the proposed regulatory action as well as the Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), a summary of the economic impacts, and the full text of the Proposed Regulation.
At the conclusion of the public review period, staff may determine that modifications to the Proposed Regulation are warranted. If so, staff would address any proposed changes in a notice that would be issued with modified regulatory language and supporting documentation for one or more 15-day review and comment periods, as required under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Staff expects to hold a single Board hearing in May 2024, for the Board to consider the Proposed Regulation.
Staff plans to utilize a new streamlined Board process for the Proposed Regulation that would only require one public hearing while still ensuring the Final EIA, including all responses to EIA comments, is reviewed and considered by the Board before action is taken.
Background
Mobile sources, including off-road equipment and the fossil fuels that power them, are the largest contributors to emissions of ozone precursors, fine particulate matter, diesel particulate matter, and greenhouse gases (GHG) in California. The Proposed Regulation is part of a suite of mobile-source strategies for reducing such emissions through the use of zero-emission technology. The measure is intended to help California achieve the emission-reduction goals outlined in the 2016 State Strategy for the State Implementation Plan, 2016 Mobile Source Strategy, 2020 Mobile Source Strategy, and Sustainable Freight Action Plan, as well as the zero-emission technology-deployment goals set forth in the Governor’s Executive Order N-79-20.
Forklifts are widely used in freight, materials handling, manufacturing, and construction operations. In the freight industry, zero-emission forklifts have already achieved substantial market acceptance and deployment volumes. However, in other industries, forklifts with internal-combustion engines are still widely used. The intent of this measure is to transition the remaining internal-combustion forklifts to zero-emission technology where feasible. In addition to reducing emissions of both criteria pollutants and GHGs, staff believes the measure could help catalyze greater adoption of zero-emission technology in the off-road sector by increasing market awareness and supporting the overall growth of the zero-emission industry.
Contact
If you have questions or comments regarding the Zero-Emission Forklift Rulemaking, please contact Keith Roderick.
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