Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
May 18, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 1049 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY May 18, 1999 JAMES D. AUSTIN SENATE ENVIRONMENT AND
PUBLIC WORKS EPA'S PROPOSED SULPHUR STANDARD
BODY:
Remarks of James D. Austin, Assistant
Commissioner, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation before the
U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air, Wetlands, Private Property and Nuclear
Safety Committee on Environment and Public Works May 18, 1999 Good Morning. My
name is Jim Austin, and I'm Assistant Commissioner with the New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation. On behalf of the Department, I
appreciate this opportunity to testify before the Subcommittee in support of the
Environmental Protection Agency's proposed sulfur standards for
gasoline. We haven't come to these proceedings lightly. The
Department has been investigating the effects of fuel sulfur on
emissions for over twenty years, and Governor Pataki has allocated a million
dollars in funding towards a joint project to look at how low
sulfur diesel fuel can facilitate emission reductions in
transit buses. There is no doubt that New York has an air quality problem, and
that a large portion results from motor vehicles. We estimate that approximately
half of the emissions that cause ground level ozone, and virtually all of the
carbon monoxide in our air, come from mobile sources. New York has worked hard
to address this problem, and we have made progress over the nearly three decades
since the federal Clean Air Act was enacted, implementing every mobile source
control strategy required by the Act and its subsequent Amendments, as well as
several well beyond the requirements. These have included stringent emissions
inspections for cars, vapor recovery systems at gas stations, and the California
emissions standards for new cars. Last year, the Governor also signed
legislation requiring emission inspections for diesel trucks and buses. New York
also limits the volatility of gasoline sold in the State, and
our analysis indicates that this has been one of the most successful programs we
have implemented in providing significant and immediate improvements in ambient
air quality. This is because there was no waiting for new technology to
penetrate the market and work its way into New York's fleet of vehicles.
Additionally, all vehicles, young or old, well maintained or neglected,
witnessed improved emissions performance as a result of the controls on
gasoline volatility. Based on our review of EPA's proposed
limits on sulfur in gasoline and the science
supporting it, we feel it will likewise provide immediate benefits, and is a
critical component of achieving further emission reductions from mobile sources.
Being from New York, I am painfully aware of the role sulfur in
coal and fuel oil plays in the acidification of our lakes, rivers and forests.
Governor Pataki has repeatedly urged EPA to meet its obligations in the Clean
Air Act and protect sensitive regions like the Adirondacks from acid rain. -Yet
high sulfur gasoline is perhaps doubly damaging to the
environment. It directly results in emissions of extremely fine particulates and
acidic aerosols that have been shown to lead to severe respiratory conditions
and other ailments, and it strips catalytic converters of their ability to
reduce emissions of other pollutants such as hydrocarbons, NOx, carbon monoxide
and a host of tonics. EPA analysis has demonstrated that even a single tank full
of high sulfur fuel can seriously degrade catalyst efficiency,
and that this degradation may be irreversible under normal operating conditions.
That's why adopting EPA's proposed sulfur limits on a national
basis, rather than regionally, is so critical. There are other reasons to
support low sulfur limits nationwide. Unlike other potential
changes to gasoline we could make, decreasing allowable levels
of sulfur has no downside. Reducing levels of
sulfur has no negative side effects on emissions, driveability,
or durability of motor vehicles. It only reduces emissions of pollutants known
to harm the environment and the people of this nation. Auto makers also say that
it is essential to meeting the proposed new emission standards for automobiles.
These vehicles will be federally certified using low sulfur
fuel, and they should be operated on the same fuel. Limiting fuel
sulfur would also be a relatively inexpensive, painless, and
transparent way to reduce air pollution in all the states that will be
determined to be out of compliance with the new eight hour standard for ozone.
For all these reasons, Europe, Canada and Japan have already taken steps to
require low sulfur fuels, and it is essential that it be
adopted here in the U.S. on a national basis. As I mentioned earlier, New York
State is working with the Metropolitan Transit Authority and other participants
in a program to introduce new emission reduction technology to diesel- powered
transit buses. This technology has already been installed on nearly four
thousand buses in Europe, and been demonstrated to provide dramatic reductions
in emissions. Yet, due to the high levels of sulfur in American
diesel fuels, this technology has not been previously available for use in the
U.S. Thankfully, a foresighted company was willing to provide the project with
the low-sulfur fuel needed to perform the demonstration. We
have every reason to believe that the technology will provide the same emission
reductions achieved on similarly equipped buses in Europe, which have been shown
to be as clean as buses powered by compressed natural gas at a fraction of the
cost. Hopefully, fuel to operate these clean buses will be available after the
demonstration project is completed. Low sulfur fuel not only
reduces exposure to harmful acidic aerosols and particulates, but it also
enables the reduction of other pollutants. Catalyst and particulate trap
technologies have advanced to the point where emissions from cars and trucks can
be inexpensively reduced to a fraction of their current levels. Yet, without low
sulfur fuels, these advanced technologies will only sit on the
shelf collecting dust. We therefore strongly support EPA's proposal to reduce
fuel sulfur. Thank you for the opportunity to present our
strong support for EPA's proposed gasoline sulfur standards.
The Department will be submitting more detailed comments before the hearing
record closes. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have at this time.
LOAD-DATE: May 19, 1999