California senate approves bill ensuring safety certification for diesel filters on vessels

Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains authored the bill in response to CARB’s new harbor vessel emissions regulations, which mandate that vessels in California upgrade to cleaner engines and install Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs). This requirement has raised concerns regarding safety and high compliance costs.

We are asking that before Diesel Particulate Filers (or “DPFs”) are required to be installed that a standard safety process is followed.

.. Burleson said.

Whenever new equipment is installed on a vessel, a third-party auditor vets the product to ensure it is safe and will not catch fire under duress. For whatever reason, CARB has bypassed these safety experts.

..he added.

As explained, if DPFs sound familiar to you, it might because of the fires they have started on school buses and semitrucks. These DPFs need careful consideration because of their infamous history and the size and stability concerns they create on towing vessels. Imagine trying to stick two VW bugs on a tugboat. That’s what we are talking about here.

Burleson said that “In our 80 year history, our trade association has never asked a legislature to intervene to protect lives onboard a vessel, but that is what is needed because CARB did not act before and we do not expect them to prioritize mariner and workplace safety in the future.”