Owners and operators of big rig trucks, tractors and other heavy-duty vehicles would have to take steps to reduce fuel-consuming drag under a greenhouse gas reduction proposal being mulled by state regulators.

The California Air Resources Board, which is implementing the state’s landmark greenhouse gas reduction law, came out with proposals last month to reduce friction and air resistance of heavy-duty vehicles, thereby increasing fuel efficiency.

This effort is separate from the much more sweeping rule the agency is developing to cap and reduce diesel emissions from on-road heavy-duty vehicles. But it’s likely to meet similar resistance from truck owners who say the cost of these retrofits would cut more deeply into their already thin margins.

Under the proposed rule, all heavy-duty vehicles built in or after 2010 must come with low-resistance tires that use materials minimizing friction when the tires roll along roads. They must also come with “fairings” plastic or metallic strips designed to cover the gaps in a truck’s profile, typically between the driving cab and the trailer. The gaps allow air to pass through at different angles, increasing a vehicle’s drag.

Most trucks built after 2005 would have to install low-resistance tires and fairings between 2010 and 2014; fleet owners with more than 19 trailers would have to report their compliance to the state.

Air Resources Board officials note that small business owners can get U.S. Small Business Administration “express loans” to make these and other technology upgrades in their trucks. They also plan to explore “other financing options.”

This agency is currently holding several informational meetings on the proposal around the state to seek comment from truck owners, environmental groups and other interested parties. A revised version of the regulation will come out later this spring. For more information, log on to the Air Resources Board Web site at: arb.ca.gov/msprog/onrdiesel.

Billboard Safety Regs

If you’ve ever wondered how dangerous it is for workers to climb up billboards and change out the huge vinyl sheets of advertising, it’s apparently too dangerous for regulators.

Claiming that existing rules are out-of-date, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration has crafted new regulations to protect workers from falling.

Among the new provisions: Workers must wear a full-body harness instead of just a safety belt when they are working on billboard structures without guardrails. Also, the harnesses must be attached to independently anchored safety lines.

In the proposed regulation, agency staff says these provisions are consistent with common industry practices and therefore should not impose significant additional costs on billboard companies or installation contractors.

The proposed amendments to the billboard regulation are set for a hearing March 20 in Glendale. For more information, log on to: dir.ca.gov/oshsb/billboards0.html.

Business Tax Crackdown?

Faced with a budget deficit of at least $150 million, the Los Angeles City Council wants city staff to crack down on business tax scofflaws. Councilmembers Eric Garcetti and Bernard Parks recently presented an ordinance allowing city bureaucrats increased access to past business registration data to collect back taxes owed to the city.

The motion also authorizes the Office of Finance to collect a fee on all delinquent accounts to cover the entire cost of searching for back taxes due; currently, a flat fee is levied on delinquent business accounts.

The motion is expected to come back to City Council at the end of this month.

Dry Cleaning Blues

Dry cleaners around the state face a 2010 deadline to stop using perchloroethylene (perc) machines built before 1995. And they must completely end use of the machines using this toxic chemical by 2023 under a rule recently finalized.

The California Air Resources Board last month sent out an advisory notice to all registered dry cleaners in the state informing them of this new rule. It was passed a year ago, but the final language wasn’t set in stone until Dec. 27.

A ban on the sale or lease of new perc dry cleaning machines took effect this past Jan. 1. According to Mike Belote, lobbyist for the California Cleaners Association, several dry cleaners rushed to buy perc machines before the ban took effect, creating a shortage.

The 2010 deadline applies to perc machines at facilities that share a wall with or are in the same building as a residence. Also, on that date, perc machines built before 1995 must be removed from service. All remaining perc machines must be phased out by 2023.

The rule also requires dry cleaning facilities with perc machines to file records with the state and it requires operators of perc machines to complete state-certified training.

For more information on the perc rule, log on to arb.ca.gov/toxics/dryclean.

Staff reporter Howard Fine can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 227 or at [email protected]