CARB Hears from Non-Profits, Marina Operators, and Small Businesses Over Proposed Regulations

SAN DIEGO一 The California Air Resources Board took public testimony from the boating and angling community over the proposed boat engine regulations announced earlier this year. The regulations would require vessels to upgrade to a U.S. EPA certified marine tier 3 or tier 4 engine plus a diesel particulate filter between 2023 and 2030. The proposed engines are not safe for wooden or fiberglass vessels and would require some businesses to scrap their vessel to accommodate the engine. “The CARB board heard from boat owners that the proposed regulations are economically and structurally infeasible for their family operations,” said Ken Franke, president of the Sportfishing Association of California in a Nov. 20 press release. “They also heard from Californians concerned that as boat owners go out of business, they will be denied access to offshore fishing and marine life and with this comes economic consequences for their coastal economies.” CARB is expected to revisit the proposed regulations early in 2022.