Do you drive a diesel vehicle? Does your company deliver its products in a diesel truck?  Do you get deliveries in a diesel truck? Do you shop at teh market? Do you live in a home? Work in a building?  The cost of all of these activities will go up if CARB does not reconsider its ill advised Truck and Bus regulations! 

As you hopefully have heard, CARB passed regulation at the end of last year based on a report authored by a fake PhD.  These regulations,  will cost millions of dollars to California businesses that are already drowning in CA poor business climate.  Do not sit back and wait for someone else to save you, act now!

The California Air Resources Board has set the dates for workshops to discuss proposed amendments to the Truck and Bus
regulation.

• January 25, 2010 – Sacramento, Ca
• January 26, 2010 – Fresno, Ca

The Sacramento workshop will be webcast, and live video feed has been setup for alternative locations to telecast the Fresno workshop.
At the December 9, 2009, Board meeting, staff presented an update on the impact of the economy on emissions from Trucks and Buses. At that meeting, the Board determined additional flexibility could be provided for fleets adversely affected by the economy, and discussed three alternatives to provide additional flexibility. At the workshops, staff will present proposed amendments including the three alternatives, and other proposed modifications to the regulation.
The workshop notice is available at:

• http://www.arb.ca.gov/dieseltruck.htm

2nd
Get fired up, listen to the John & Ken show on KFI640, as they discuss CARBs antics:

• http://www.box.net/shared/kbh1t1i1r8

Do something, Mary

admin Fleet Manager Wall CARB, DeWitt, diesel, John and Ken, KFI

Well it is time for snowballs in Southern California! During yesterdays meeting, the CARB Board agreed to consider options on the New Diesel Truck Rules. Thank you to everyone who sent a letter.  While it feels like just one letter may not make the difference, a whole lot of ones certainly do! See CIOMA’s Hot of the presses release.

Mary Fleet Manager Wall California, CARB, diesel, Diesel Truck

The recent uproar about the validity of the study on global warming, coincides with the California Air Resource Board (CARB) finally being called out by one of their own.  While I am a big advocate for getting at least ONE business representative on the CARB Board, I am thankful that Board member Dr. John G. Tellez took a stand.  Members of the CARB Board and Staff were aware of problems with the study that was the main support for the truck regulation’s implementation, but DID NOT inform Dr. Tellez and other Board members before they voted on the final rule.  He is requesting that the regulation be postponed, so are we and if you have a fleet of vehicles, you should too.

My Best, Mary

December 7, 2009

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger

Governor, State of California

State Capitol

Sacramento, CA 95814

Via Fax: 916.558.3160

Subject: Need to Postpone On-Road Diesel Truck Regulation

Dear Governor Schwarzenegger:

I am writing on behalf of my company and the 1,300 businesses we serve in Southern California to request that you postpone the On-Road Diesel Truck Regulation.  Two California Air Resource Board members have asked that the Truck Rule be set aside due to ethical and legal implications surrounding the development of that report and the qualifications of a key individual who authored the report. We concur.

This regulation has the potential to put many small and medium-sized businesses out of operation due to its expense. We are a financially stable, 64 year old company, with deep enough roots to survive the current economy, but even we are considering shutting down certain segments of our business due to the onerous cost of the this regulation.  Unfortunately, many of my customers are in even worse positions.  The loss of these businesses will have a dramatic domino effect on the economy of Southern California.  The Board must address the affordability of this regulation.

Delay of the regulation will not adversely affect air quality as the economic downturn has already significantly reduced diesel emissions through reduced trucking and construction in the state. This was verified by CARB staff recently at a public workshop where, with no action, the state will meet 2011 SIP commitments for NOX and PM2.5.

Strong management of California’s well being REQUIRES that you delay this rule.  Ethics and morality demand that you look at CARB, its Board and what their lack of honesty will continue to cost this state and the people trying to live here.

Mary D. Wilson

President and Third Generation Petroleum Marketer

Mary Fleet Manager Wall CARB, Diesel Regulation, Gevernor Schwarzenegger

Our Fleet

Every few weeks I meet individually with the managers at DeWitt. Topics vary from personnel to personal. On Friday, I met with Scott our Transportation manager. He is responsible for all things fleet, which right now happens to include planning our compliance with the California Air Resource Board (CARB) Statewide Truck and Bus Regulations. Like many of our customers, we have a fleet of vehicles that need to meet the first level of compliance by December 2010. As Scott and I reviewed the rule and the “age” of our fleet, my frustration level rose. (If you haven’t calculated the age of your fleet – here is the link – On-Road Trucks Average Calculator.)

Now in our business, we deal with pennies, so if we can suck one more day, week, month or year out of a paid for asset, we will. What these new rules mean is that we will have to “retire” some of our fleet before their useful life is up in order to be in compliance.

Last month at the California Petroleum Conference put on by CIOMA (www.cioma.com), James E. Enstrom, Ph.D, M.P.H. and Dr. John Dale Dunn, M.D.,J.D. spoke during lunch. The title: Junk Science: The Politicization of Science for Regulatory Overkill. It is the contention of these two gentlemen, that the public health research that is the foundation of this regulation has severe scientific deficiencies. While I climb onto the soap box I borrowed from my dad, I have a disclaimer. I like clean air. I have two kids, who love being outdoors. I want clean air. But I also want to feed them, clothe them and put a roof over their heads, none of which can happen without trucks getting products to market. The environmental community, in their zealous pursuit of clean air has resorted to suing states and regulatory agencies based on the Clean Air Act of 1990. This act has the noble idea of cleaning the air with no consideration of economic consequences. Bad science with no concern for the economic consequences is a very bad combination.

I had to cancel my attendance at the CIOMA meeting, but there is another opportunity to hear Drs. Enstrom and Dunn coming up in a few weeks. (California Dump Truck Owners Association – CDTOA Flyer). I know we are not likely to avoid this train wreck – the Diesel Fleet Rules, but if we all just spend a little energy, we may make this state better for our kids. A clean one yes, but a financially viable one as well.

My Best,

Mary

Mary Fleet Manager Wall CARB, CIOMA, clean air, fleet, Truck and Bus Regulations