New EPA emission rules no surprise

Terry Ostmeyer

Small gas-powered engines such as those used in many mowers and other golf course maintenance equipment are subject to new stricter standards by the EPA.

The new standards, which will go into effect beginning in 2010 and target mainly lawn and turf equipment and marine engines, are expected to substantially reduce the amount of gas fumes, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and smog-forming pollutants. The cuts go beyond the 60 percent reduction mandated two years ago.

Nonroad gasoline-powered engines will see an additional 35 percent reduction in hydrocarbon emissions. The updated engines also will achieve a 45 percent reduction in fuel evaporative emissions.

“EPA’s new small-engine standards will allow Americans to cut air pollution as well as grass,” said EPA administrator Stephen L. Johnson.

To meet the new exhaust emission standards, manufacturers will likely employ catalytic converters for the first time in many small engines, along with other new technologies.

In a random check of equipment manufacturers for a reaction to the EPA ruling as it pertains to commercial turf products, GCM learned that most golf course maintenance industry partners are already ahead of the curve.

“It was something we largely expected. We feel it’s an achievable target,” Branden Happel, public relations manager for The Toro Co., said. He noted that the EPA standards are mostly an extension of changes his company already has made over the past couple of years to comply with California Resources Board standards — such as low permeation fuel lines and fuel tanks to reduce evaporation emissions.

Happel added that Toro has extended the CARB fuel line emission standard nationwide. “For us, it made better business sense to do it across the board,” he said.

As for the EPA’s new exhaust emissions rules, Happel said the engine suppliers for Toro products will make the appropriate modifications, such as catalytic converters.

“We’ll continue to work closely with our supply partners to meet these new standards,” he said, adding that the impact for customers likely will be minimal price increases.

Likewise, John Deere Golf officials reiterated that the company’s compliance with CARB lays the groundwork for the new EPA regulations.

“The CARB standards have required engine and fuel system changes to our products. These same changes will now be adopted on the products to make them EPA-compliant,” said Paul Meyer, John Deere’s vice president of engineering and supply management, adding that the engines the company uses have not required catalytic converters.

Companies that specialize in providing small-engine products to the industry also are addressing the appropriate changes. Husqvarna, for example, relies on outside sources for its four-stroke engines and the company expects higher costs as a result of the EPA edict.

“For sure, the engine suppliers will have to use catalytic converters or other technical solutions, but this is technology that is already known and will not be a problem for the suppliers,” said Pontus Ekholm, manager of communications and media relations for Husqvarna. “I would guess there will be price increases for the end customer because of the new standards.”

Ekholm added that Husqvarna’s new X-Torq technology in the two-stroke engines for its popular smaller products already has reduced exhaust emissions in those products by 60 percent and cut fuel consumption by 20 percent.

For more information on the new standards, visit www.epa.gov/otaq/equip-ld.htm.

Terry Ostmeyer is GCM’s senior staff writer.