New EPA regulations and cleaner snowmobiles

The Environmental Protection Agency, oft maligned by liberals and environmentalists alike for their lax protection of the environment, recently took a step forward this past month by proposing an initiative to cut the emissions of smog and soot produced by diesel engine boats and trains (EPA). The announced program will take hold in 2007 and continue phased in initiatives though 2015 based on the size and model of the engine. All told, the EPA expects to reduce diesel engine particulate pollution from by 90 percent, smog-forming nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, and decrease the allowable levels of sulfur in fuel used in marine vessels by 99 percent.

However, General Electric, the nation’s largest locomotive producer, wrote the EPA and asked for weaker smog standards because they lacked the technology to meet the new standards. (This is the same company that joined a consortium of scientists and businesses asking for stronger CO2 emission standards.) Despite their objection, a recent study projected the cost of upgrading diesel engines are estimated at $600 million, or an additional 3 percent to the cost of the locomotive and at most 3.6 percent to the price of boats.

On the other hand, the “health benefits are estimated at $12 billion by 2030, including 1,500 fewer premature deaths, 1,100 fewer hospitalizations and 170,000 more work days by people breathing easier.” According to Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies, “We estimate the emissions benefits will be equivalent to taking three-quarters of a million diesel trucks off the road each year” (MSNBC).

Although this does not affect all pollution emitting engines, a new program is underway to produce a zero-emission snowmobile. Currently, Yellowstone National Park phased out the usage of snowmobiles because of their detrimental affect on the environment (MT Department of Environmental Quality). How bad exactly are snowmobiles for the environment? According to a National Park Service revised 2001 report on Impacts of Snowmobiles in National Parks:

“The two-stroke engines produce amounts of unburned HC and CO similar to that produced by automobiles before the 1970 Clean Air Act. These two-stroke engines still produce significant amounts of fine (PM-2.5) particulate matter emissions due to the method of scavenging, leaving the exhaust and fuel inport ports open at the same time. The best estimates available comparing snowmobile emissions to average automobile emissions conclude that a traditional snowmobile produces ten to 70 times more CO and between 45 and 89 times more unburned HC than an average car. (Peaks to Prairies, for more in depth studies, see Lab Testing of Snowmobile Emissions prepared for the National Park Service).”

This year, four National Science Foundation- supported teams competed at the Society of Automotive Engineers Clean Snowmobile Challenge. The teams, consisting of college and university members of the SAE, were each given $10,000. The teams are not only attempting to reduce emissions, but also reduce their noise level and overall impact on the environment. The winning group will go to Greenland to work directly with the NSF’s research and development of a cleaner snowmobile. (Science Daily)