Cargo Handling Equipment Regulation to Transition to Zero-Emissions
In March 2018, CARB staff presented to the Board a plan to begin development of a regulation to minimize emissions and community health impacts from cargo handling equipment.
Amend CARB’s existing Cargo Handling Equipment regulation to transition to zero-emissions. The existing regulation sets in-use requirements for diesel cargo handling equipment at ports and rail yards, including but not limited to: yard trucks (hostlers), rubber-tired gantry cranes, container handlers, and forklifts. Staff would assess the availability and performance of zero-emission technology as an alternative to all combustion-powered cargo equipment and evaluate additional solutions that may include efficiency improvements. The regulatory amendments would propose an implementation schedule for new equipment and facility infrastructure requirements, with effective dates beginning in 2026. In this potential action, all mobile equipment at ports and rail yards, including but not limited to: diesel, gasoline, natural gas, and propane-fueled equipment, would be subject to new requirements. CARB staff would also consider opportunities to prioritize the earliest implementation in or adjacent to the communities most impacted by air pollution.
Potential impacts
This action could potentially achieve emission reductions of criteria pollutants, air toxics, and greenhouse gases, beginning in 2026, with over 90 percent penetration of zero-emission equipment by 2036. These reductions would provide critical benefits to reduce community health risk, fulfill State Implementation Plan commitments to attain federal air quality standards, and meet greenhouse gas reduction targets. The new technologies used to achieve these reductions are expected to transfer and accelerate the deployment of zero-emission operations in other freight and heavy-duty applications.
