US EPA Willing To Reconsider Diesel-Exhaust Guidelines
29 Outubro 2009 - 8:34PM
Dow Jones News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is willing to
reconsider its guidelines for complying with new standards on
diesel-engine exhaust, the agency said in a court petition asking
for proceedings to be postponed on a complaint from truck maker
Navistar International Corp. (NAV)
In its request for a 60-day delay, the EPA said it would use the
extra time to try to resolve the issues raised in Navistar's
complaint, which was filed in March with the U.S. Court of Appeals
in Washington, D.C. Navistar's initial briefs to the appeals court
are due Nov. 20.
"The EPA intends to reconsider the guidance, which may lead to
further agency action that could resolve some or all of Navistar's
issues," the agency said in the petition filed Oct. 23.
"Reconsideration of the guidance may lead to the very result
Navistar is requesting" in its complaint.
A Navistar spokesman had no comment on the request. But the
company likely views the petition as a favorable development in its
months-long battle against the EPA's certification of selective
catalytic reduction, or SCR, as a strategy for complying with
tougher standards on nitrogen oxide in diesel engine emissions.
Navistar, which is the only major truck maker using a different
exhaust technology to meet 2010 emissions standards, has accused
the EPA of disregarding its own procedures and requirements to
accommodate truck makers wishing to deploy SCR on their engines.
The company also said the agency provided a biased and incomplete
record of the comments and concerns raised about SCR, which filters
engine exhaust through a urea solution.
Navistar particularly objects to an EPA provision allowing
commercial trucks with SCR to operate for up to 1,000 miles once
the urea solution has been used up. After that, the truck's engine
would become inoperable. Navistar contends that truckers could
undermine the effectiveness of the new regulations by repeatedly
invoking the 1,000-mile exemption on SCR-equipped engines.
Navistar's stock Thursday closed up 3%, or 99 cents, to
$33.95.
-By Bob Tita, Dow Jones Newswires; 312-750-4129;
robert.tita@dowjones.com