Control of Air Pollution From New Motor Vehicles; Compliance Programs for New Light-Duty Vehicles and Light-Duty Trucks

This action proposes to revise the emissions compliance procedures for light-duty vehicles and light-duty trucks. The Environmental Protection Agency (referred to hereafter as ``EPA'' or ``the Agency'') is proposing a new compliance assurance program (referred to as ``CAP 2000''). CAP 2000 would simplify and streamline the current procedures for pre-production certification of new motor vehicles. Under this proposal, the certification program would provide the same environmental benefits as the current procedures while significantly reducing the certification cost for manufacturers, and would give manufacturers more control of production timing. EPA is also proposing that manufacturers test in-use motor vehicles to monitor compliance with emission standards. Manufacturers would test samples of in-use vehicles when they are approximately one and four years old. These test data would be used to improve the certification process to predict in-use compliance and to determine the need for further action by the Agency or the manufacturer to address any in-use compliance problems. EPA proposes that CAP 2000 be implemented beginning with model year (MY) 2001 vehicles. Manufacturers would be allowed to voluntarily opt-in to the CAP 2000 procedures beginning with the 2000 model year. EPA estimates that overall, manufacturers would save about $55 million dollars a year as a result of today's proposal.