California contractors are breathing easier but environmentalists feel smoked after a last-minute proviso to relax California’s off-road-diesel emission regulations made it into the state’s final budget, which passed the state legislature on Feb. 19 after five months of contentious negotiations.
The California Air Resources Board had developed the rules for existing equipment set to kick in next year. Now, it gives extra credit to fleets that started reducing emissions prior to the mandate, thanks to extreme lobbying pressure from the construction industry.