Proposed federal emission rule threatens cement plants

Two major local employers, Lehigh Southwest Cement Company in Tehachapi and CalPortland Cement in Mojave, are facing a stringent new federal emission rule that may be impossible to meet.

Both plants fall short of the proposed standard for mercury emissions, but the Lehigh plant has a far greater challenge ahead of it to meet the demands of the Environmental Protection Agency.

The proposed standard for mercury is “very low,” said Kern County Air Pollution Control Officer Dave Jones.

“Our plant has been on this site for the last 100 years and now the United States Environmental Protection Agency has determined if we cannot meet their proposed emission levels, the plant would be required to close,” said Lehigh Plant Manager Craig Mifflin. “Lehigh is in the process of preparing pilot plant studies to determine the ability of existing control technologies to control these pollutants. The challenge of course, will be the ability to meet all of the parameters' extremely low limits.”

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What Does Auto Code 1446 Emissions Control Systems In Cars Mean?

It is always a bit stressful when your vehicle isn’t performing right, and especially if this lack of performance is coupled with the auto code 1446 emissions control systems in cars being indicated through the use of a scanner. When the “check engine” light comes on in any car equipped with an on-board diagnostic system or OBD-ll, the owner or driver can take the vehicle to any repair shop, auto parts store or dealership and have the results scanned. This process then generates all the faults or malfunctions in the emissions system into a series of code. The auto code 1446 emissions control systems, cars and trucks, means that there is a problem with the vent control valve. This fault can occur in more than one set of the auto code 1446 emissions control systems. Cars or trucks can be reset and driven again, then checked to see if the fault occurs. Sometimes something as simple as a loose gas cap or a tear in the seal around the gas cap can lead to the fault reading auto code 1446 emissions control systems. Cars are easy to fix if this is the problem, simply reset the system and correctly tighten the gas cap or replace the damaged gas cap to correct the problem and prevent the faulty reading from occurring.

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2016 Vehicle Standards: Better Mileage, Cleaner Air

The national fuel-efficiency and emission-control standard announced in mid-May will significantly raise the requirements for vehicle manufacturers, foreign and domestic. But the standard will also enable automakers and regulators to pursue the goals more efficiently.

Pleasing environmental groups and - publicly, at least - manufacturers, President Obama described new, comprehensive rules that:

Raise the required, overall average for fuel efficiency to 35.5 miles per gallon by 2016 - four years earlier than current federal law requires. New passenger cars would have to average 39 mpg; light trucks, 30 mpg. (The current average for cars is 27.5 mpg; for trucks, 23 mpg.)

Impose, for the first time nationwide limits on vehicle-exhaust emissions.

Carbon dioxide and other vehicle emissions that contribute to climate change would be reduced by almost one-third by 2016. The volumes are hard to comprehend, but the Obama administration said the restrictions would reduce greenhouse emissions by 900 million metric tons - the equivalent of taking 177 million cars off the road during the 6-1/2-year duration of the new policies.

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