WASHINGTON (CN) - The Environmental Protection Agency has set non-conformance penalties for heavy-duty diesel engines that cannot meet 2010 emission standards.
Non-conformance penalties allow manufacturers to pay a set fine on every engine they manufacture that does not meet a particular emission standard rather than stop making the engines.
The penalties are created on an as needed basis when the EPA thinks it is likely that a manufacturer will fail to meet a standard that has recently become tougher, for technological reasons.
This year the agency created non-conformance penalties for emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) because it believes at least one manufacturer of heavy-duty diesel engines will not meet the standard in model years 2012 and 2013.
Penalties are set on a sliding scale depending on the level of NOx emissions falling outside the standard. The penalty per engine tops out at around $2,000 for engines that emit .50 grams per brake-horsepower-hour.
The penalties increase over time to encourage manufacturers to develop or acquire technology that will bring their engine emissions into compliance.
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