Pre-1987 Diesel Ban Update 
	 Pre-1987 Diesel Ban Update

At 11:00 PM last night (August 29), Assembly Member Jan Goldsmith requested
that AB 1675 be sent back to the Senate for "technical amendments." For the
United Highway Carriers Association, this move by Goldsmith can be scored as
a our major victory.
AB 1675, as many of you may already know from our newsletter, is a bill
sponsored by the California Trucking Association that would prohibit the
operation of pre-1987 diesels after the year 2004 if they do not meet certain
emissions specifications. AB 1675 would impose a mandatory retrofit and
emissions upgrade program for owners of pre-1987 diesels. Groups who have
registered support of CTA's ban of trucks based on model year include:

California League of Conservation Voters
Sierra Club
California Retail Air Quality Coalition
California Teamsters

California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition
California Grocers Association

Reacting to an overwhelming response from UHCA members who own pre-1987
diesels and whose businesses would be devastated by this type of legislation,
a UHCA letter of opposition was quickly drafted. A number of UHCA members
requested copies of this letter in order to fashion personal letters of opposition to
their respective Assembly Members. Here is a copy of UHCA's letter of
opposition to CTA's efforts to forbid pre-1987 diesels:


To: Assembly Member Jan Goldsmith

From: David Barnes
President, United Highway Carriers Association

Date: August 26, 1996

Subject: AB 1675 (Goldsmith) -- OPPOSE

The United Highway Carriers Association (UHCA) oppose AB 1675. We regret expressing our
opposition at this late date, but feel this bill could be extremely detrimental to small companies
who own trucks. It is unfortunate that AB 1675 has been misrepresented as a measure
"supported by the trucking industry." A major contingency of the trucking industry would in fact
be adversely affected by this legislation for the following reasons:

AB 1675 places a disproportionate, and in some cases detrimental, financial burden on small
trucking companies. This segment of the trucking population, which represents the majority
of UHCA's membership, does not replace its fleets with the same regularity as larger trucking
companies. Many of these businesses, often family owned, would normally continue to
operate pre-1987 diesels beyond the year 2004.
The emission reducing benefits of AB 1675 will fall miserably short of the 11-ton requirement
of the State Implementation Plan for the year 2005. The gross polluters, or large trucking
fleets, will be left completely unaffected by a measure that seeks to prohibit 17-year-old
trucks from operating in California. Ultimately, small trucking companies would be unduly
penalized by this measure, while the state would reap negligible emission reductions.
Besides the alternatives of selling their pre-1987 diesels to Mexican trucking companies or to
bordering states, AB 1675 leaves owners with the option of retrofitting their trucks with cost-
prohibitive or nonexistent emission control technology. According to CARB, no retrofit kit is
yet available whose emissions have been rigorously quantified and which would provide
assurance that it will significantly reduce emissions over its useful life.
AB 1675 sets an unacceptable precedent for future policy regarding SIP attainment levels.
As opposed to the consistently expressed intentions of CARB to meet the emissions
standards though voluntary, incentive-based programs that do not have a significant
cost impact on private persons or businesses, AB 1675 imposes a command and control
type of regulatory environment. If the policy set by AB 1675 is adopted, it won't be long
before pre-1995 diesels are prohibited.

For the above reasons, we must oppose AB 1675. We recognize the inescapable reality that
efforts must be made by the trucking industry to attain the emission requirements of the State
Implementation Plan. At the same time, we firmly believe that a more practical, equitable, and
effective solution can be achieved than AB 1675.

____________________________________________________

Although it has only a slim chance of survival at this point (the 1995-96
legislative session comes to a close on this Saturday, August 31, and now must
go through both the Senate and Assembly with Assembly Member Goldsmith's
new amendments) AB 1675 is still technically alive. We will be maintaining a
vigilance on AB 1675 out of commitment to the UHCA trucking companies that
would be devastated by this type of legislation were it to be made into law.
UHCA's lobbyist, Deborah Mattos, has already hand-delivered a copy of
over 20 personal letters of opposition to AB 1675 to all 78 members of the
Assembly and all 40 members of the Senate. She is meeting with Senators
and Assemblymen to discuss our concerns as you read this information. If you
have any questions about the status of the bill, please feel free to contact her
office at (916) 447-1191. Ask to speak with Deborah Mattos or Dan Vetter.

For more information about the United Highway

Carriers Association or to ask for a copy of our

latest newsletter, call (800) 483-8393