CARB seeks to legislate over tyre pressure maintenance, super-singles

Sacramento, California - CARB, the California Air Resources Board, is seeking to bring forward three proposals designed to reduce global warming potential. Two of these directly affect the tyre industry.

The first proposal is the SmartWay Truck Efficiency measure, in which trucks are required to adopt fuel-saving measures, including 'super-single' tyres, low rolling resistance tyres and / or automated tyre inflation systems.

The second is the tyre pressure programme. This aims to ensure that all vehicles, including older cars, have tyre pressures checked and maintained. "Specifically," says the policy document, "the strategy seeks to ensure that tyre pressure in older vehicles is monitored by requiring that tires be checked and inflated at regular service intervals."

Both programmes have been on CARB's books since June 2007, but in the latest set of proposals, the group seeks to upgrade the programmes to discrete early action measures, which means they are likely to be backed by legislation by the end of 2009.

Previously both programmes was classified as an Early Action which means they could be initiated by CARB in the 2007 - 2012 timeframe and may or may not be subject to legislation.

CARB is to hold a seminar on 17 Sept during which interested parties can present their views. The seminar will be webcast on the CARB website. The proposals then move to a vote in Sacramento on 25 and 26 October

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Press release from CARB (US - California)

Draft report(189 pages from CARB (2.2 MB PDF file)