The California Air Resources Board has reached a settlement agreement with Briggs and Stratton of Milwaukee, WI., a significant producer of engines for outdoor power equipment, for $117,314.* This was for the company’s violations of the Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) Regulation. The regulation limits emissions of oxides of nitrogen and hydrocarbons from spark-ignited, small off-road engines, including those found in landscape equipment, small power tools, and portable generators.
“Small off-road engine manufacturers that skirt California’s clean air regulations will be held accountable to protect our air and public health,” said CARB Executive Officer Dr. Steven Cliff. “These engines can be a significant culprit of evaporative emissions, and due to the sheer number of them in the state, it is critical that they meet and comply with established standards. Going forward, zero-emissions equipment will make small-engine air pollution a thing of the past.”
Briggs and Stratton’s settlement includes a $58,657 civil penalty that will contribute to California’s Air Pollution Control Fund and $58,657 to be split between two Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs), community-based projects funded by penalties received during the settlement of enforcement actions.
The two projects that will receive funding are tree planting at Malaga Recreation Park with Tree Fresno and a community-based monitoring and assessment program in Fresno with Central California Environmental Justice Network.
Additionally, the settlement agreement includes a voluntary disclosure by Briggs and Stratton that the company had mislabeled certain model year 2020–2022 SOREs sold in California.
“Small off-road engines are a major source of pollution in California, surpassing light-duty passenger cars as a source of smog-forming emissions in 2021. This includes the emissions of raw fuel that continue to evaporate from engines, lawn mowers and other equipment even when they are powered off. To address this major source of smog-forming emissions, CARB passed a new regulation in 2021 to transition SORE to zero-emission technologies. This will help California meet its required federal clean air standards, clean the air, and significantly reduce harmful emissions for those who routinely work with SORE equipment, CARB said.
*The per unit penalty in this case is a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500.00 USD) per action under Health and Safety Code section 43016, for violations of the Evaporative Emissions Regulation. (Cal. Code Regs., tit.13, § 2772; Health & Saf. Code § 43016.) The penalty of $117,314.44 is for 1644 non-compliant SORE equipment and 8417 mislabeled SOREs. The per unit penalty in this case is approximately $45.76 per non-compliant SORE equipment and $5.00 per mislabeled SORE.
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Briggs and Stratton Settles With CARB For Off-Road Emissions
The California Air Resources Board has reached a settlement agreement with Briggs and Stratton of Milwaukee, WI., a significant producer of engines for outdoor power equipment, for $117,314.* This was for the company’s violations of the Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) Regulation. The regulation limits emissions of oxides of nitrogen and hydrocarbons from spark-ignited, small off-road engines, including those found in landscape equipment, small power tools, and portable generators.
“Small off-road engine manufacturers that skirt California’s clean air regulations will be held accountable to protect our air and public health,” said CARB Executive Officer Dr. Steven Cliff. “These engines can be a significant culprit of evaporative emissions, and due to the sheer number of them in the state, it is critical that they meet and comply with established standards. Going forward, zero-emissions equipment will make small-engine air pollution a thing of the past.”
Briggs and Stratton’s settlement includes a $58,657 civil penalty that will contribute to California’s Air Pollution Control Fund and $58,657 to be split between two Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEPs), community-based projects funded by penalties received during the settlement of enforcement actions.
The two projects that will receive funding are tree planting at Malaga Recreation Park with Tree Fresno and a community-based monitoring and assessment program in Fresno with Central California Environmental Justice Network.
Additionally, the settlement agreement includes a voluntary disclosure by Briggs and Stratton that the company had mislabeled certain model year 2020–2022 SOREs sold in California.
“Small off-road engines are a major source of pollution in California, surpassing light-duty passenger cars as a source of smog-forming emissions in 2021. This includes the emissions of raw fuel that continue to evaporate from engines, lawn mowers and other equipment even when they are powered off. To address this major source of smog-forming emissions, CARB passed a new regulation in 2021 to transition SORE to zero-emission technologies. This will help California meet its required federal clean air standards, clean the air, and significantly reduce harmful emissions for those who routinely work with SORE equipment, CARB said.
*The per unit penalty in this case is a maximum of five hundred dollars ($500.00 USD) per action under Health and Safety Code section 43016, for violations of the Evaporative Emissions Regulation. (Cal. Code Regs., tit.13, § 2772; Health & Saf. Code § 43016.) The penalty of $117,314.44 is for 1644 non-compliant SORE equipment and 8417 mislabeled SOREs. The per unit penalty in this case is approximately $45.76 per non-compliant SORE equipment and $5.00 per mislabeled SORE.
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.