While there are federal engine emission standards in place for newer vehicles, heavy-duty diesel engines have a long service life allowing an older technology, higher-emitting engine to pollute for many decades before it is replaced with a newer, cleaner engine. To address this gap, the New Jersey Legislature adopted the Diesel Retrofit Law in 2005 to clean up emissions from certain on-road, diesel-powered motor vehicles and non-road vehicles/equipment through the use of retrofit emission control technology. The benefits of this law and the subsequent regulations adopted by the NJDEP are a reduction of the harmful diesel exhaust that NJ citizens are exposed to every day. The regulations require a variety of vehicles and equipment to install “retrofits” by established deadlines at State expense.
What is a “retrofit”?
Most gasoline-fueled vehicles have control technologies like catalytic converters that reduce harmful emissions of air pollutants. Diesel vehicles do not currently have these emission controls, so add-on “retrofits” have been developed that can be installed on the tailpipe of your existing diesel vehicles. These include diesel particulate filters (DPFs), diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) and others that are attached at the tailpipe to filter pollutants. Vehicles like school buses are required to install another technology called a closed crankcase system (similar to a PCV valve on cars) that is installed on the engine crankcase. The closed crankcase ventilation system prevents diesel exhaust from seeping into the cabin of the school bus and therefore reduces children exposure to the harmful pollutants.
What vehicles are covered by the Diesel Retrofit Law?
Owners of regulated vehicles and equipment must are responsible for complying with the Diesel Retrofit Program rules. Regulated vehicles are those that are powered by a diesel engine and include:
- School buses
- Solid Waste Vehicles that are publicly-owned or used to perform solid waste services under a public contract
- Commercial Buses owned by private and public entities
- Publicly-owned on-road vehicles
- Publicly-owned off-road vehicles with at least 175 horsepower
What do I need to do to comply?
An owner of one or more regulated vehicles or equipment must provide to the NJDEP an inventory of all the diesel-powered vehicles and equipment within his or her fleet. The inventory must include information about all of the vehicles/equipment, the compliance method the owner plans to use to meet the required emission reductions for the regulated vehicles/equipment, and the type and cost of the retrofit system. Please note that all retrofits must be installed by an authorized installer listed on a State Contract issued for the purposes of the Diesel Retrofit Program rules. Only an authorized installer on the State Contract is eligible for reimbursements, therefore, there are no initial out-of-pocket costs to the fleet owner. The inventory is filed through the NJDEP Online website and reviewed by NJDEP. Use this link to complete and submit Inventories, Notices of Intent to Comply, Fleet Plans, and Annual Supplements: http://www.njdeponline.com.
Upon approval and certification of funding by NJDEP for retrofits, the owner must have the vehicles retrofitted in accordance with the inventory submittal. After retrofitting, the owner must send completed compliance forms to NJDEP. The vehicle must also undergo a “One-Time Compliance Inspection” during its next scheduled periodic motor vehicle inspection performed by a Motor Vehicle Services Inspector or a licensed Diesel Emissions Inspection Center, where the inspector will certify the installation of the retrofit on the Compliance Form. (Once installation is certified, no additional action is required by the vehicle owner other than the mandated motor vehicle inspection.) The completed Compliance Form must stay with the vehicle and a copy must be sent to NJDEP.
A licensed Diesel Emissions Inspection Center must be trained and authorized by the NJDEP to certify the installation of a BART retrofit device. For a list of trained Diesel Emission Inspection Centers, click here.
What is “BART” or “BART levels”?
“Best available retrofit technology (BART)” is an add-on, tailpipe emissions control device for diesel vehicles and equipment that will achieve substantial reductions of fine particulate emissions at reasonable cost. NJDEP has determined which regulated vehicles/equipment require BART and which devices are acceptable and qualify as BART (click here for a more detailed description of BART).
Guidance Documents
For more detailed information about the Mandatory Diesel Retrofit Program, regulated vehicles and equipment, inventories and compliance options, see www.stopthesoot.org/sts-facts.htm#brochures.
Mandatory Retrofit Regulations
As part of the State’s diesel initiative, new rules at N.J.A.C. 7:27-32 and amendments to N.J.A.C. 7:27-14, 7:27A-3.10, and 7:27B-4 establish a program for the retrofitting of certain heavy-duty diesel vehicles and equipment (the Diesel Retrofit Program), as directed by the Diesel Retrofit Law. For a full copy of the adopted regulation, click here.
State Retrofitting Contracts
For a list of vendors providing retrofit services for regulated vehicles and equipment covered by the Diesel Retrofit Law, see http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/purchase/noa/contracts/t2541_08-x-39424.shtml.
Click here for a list of the authorized installers and their retrofits.
Verified Retrofits
For a list of verified retrofit technologies, see USEPA's list at www.epa.gov/otaq/retrofit/verif-list.htm and California's list at www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/verdev/vt/cvt.htm.
Owners of Regulated School Buses Required to Install CCVS before July 6, 2010
Owners of regulated school buses are required to have closed crankcase ventilation systems (CCVS) installed on regulated school buses by July 6, 2010. As of September 2009, approximately 2,300 CCVS have been installed on regulated school buses in New Jersey, ensuring a safer and cleaner ride for students.
Please note, before any installation can occur, the owner must submit a cost estimate spreadsheet to the Department for approval. If you have not done so, please complete and send your electronic Inventory/Cost estimates to the Department as soon as possible by using the Department's online portal. CCVS Cost Estimate Submittal Forms can be found below. For a copy of the School Bus Fleet guidance document, click here.
BART and CCVS Inventory/Cost Estimate Submittal Forms
**IMPORTANT** The completed CCVS and/or BART Forms must be uploaded through the NJDEP Online Services using your online account. For full instructions on how to setup your online account, Click Here.
To begin the compliance procedure the vehicle/equipment owner must complete the submittal forms. The BART Form is required of all regulated vehicle/equipment owners; the CCVS Form is required only for school bus owners. These forms must be used to submit your inventories/cost estimates for Notices of Intent to Comply, Fleet Plans, and Fleet Averaging Plans.
Please save the spreadsheet to your computer before making any edits.
ALSO
To allow the spreadsheet to work correctly, select option to "enable" macros when opening the document or lower the macro security feature down to “Low.” The document will need to be saved, closed, and re-opened with the lower macros security level selected.
Owners using MS Excel 2007 must reference the following instructions before beginning the spreadsheets: Special Data Entry Instructions for Excel 2007 Users (Click Here)
**IMPORTANT** To complete these forms, the owner will need to contact one of the authorized installers listed on the State Contract. The authorized installer(s) will supply the owner with the retrofit information and associated cost estimates for the retrofits to be installed on your vehicles/equipment. Be sure to contact an authorized installer well in advance of the submittal deadline for your vehicle/equipment type.
Click here for a list of the authorized installers and their retrofits.
Best Available Retrofit Technology Program Update
Owners of regulated solid waste vehicles submitted their inventory/cost estimates to the Department on June 6, 2008. As of September 2009, approximately 1,100 regulated solid waste vehicles have been retrofitted with Best Available Retrofit Technology to improve air quality in New Jersey. New Jersey Transit buses and owners of private commercial buses will be required to comply in 2010.
NJ School Bus Emissions Study
The NJDEP has completed the NJ School Bus Emissions Study to determine if tailpipe retrofit devices further reduce levels of diesel fine particles in school bus cabins. The study concluded that tailpipe retrofit devices do not significantly reduce in-cabin particulate levels. Therefore, the Department will not require tailpipe retrofit devices on regulated school buses.
NJDEP also concluded that equipping school buses with closed crankcase ventilation systems, and ensuring that all school buses meet New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission’s school bus inspection requirements, will substantially reduce the levels of fine particles inside school buses.
The final study report and additional information can be found by clicking here.
School Bus Volunteer Retrofit Program
The DEP accepted 9 school bus owners to participate in the School Bus Volunteer Retrofit Program. The participants accepted into the program operate within or near an urban complex. No additional fleets will be accepted into this program at this time. Those participants accepted into the program have voluntarily retrofitted almost 200 school buses with Best Available Retrofit Technology (BART) in addition to the required closed crankcase ventilation system (CCVS). The BART are particulate filters that are the most effective at reducing fine particle emissions from diesel exhaust.
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