Green as a Largemouth Bass - Clean Air Act
(part 2 of a 2-part series)

by Dave Watts
(Who is Dave Watts & what else has he written?)

How "green" should a largemouth bass fisherman be when it comes to supporting the Clean Air Act and its enforcement?

I was raised largemouth bass fishing with a 35hp Evinrude, which we also used for water skiing and trolling, in addition to "hot dogging it" from one fishing hole to another. We mixed the oil and gas manually with a metal measuring cup while sitting on the dock. We got the ratios wrong most of the time and often had "baby" oil spills. I remain fascinated by the kaleidoscope of colors that would form on the water when we poured a small cup of gas or oil directly into the lake. My childhood fascinations are now illegal. What else is new? We also spent more time trying to start the motor with the rope pull than we did fishing. And, when we got that motor running, blue smoke spewed from the water, most likely due to an excess of oil in the gas. Those odors are my early memories of bass fishing.

But times change. I’m green now. I no longer need to reenact those childhood moments. In fact, I am thinking about trading in my carbureted, gas guzzler for a new high tech-injected motor that meets the 2008 California air quality standards. In my research for a new outboard motor, I was surprised by how far the outboard motor industry has come in developing clean technologies.

This advancement in technology is being driven, in large part, by another law of national importance - the Clean Air Act, passed in the 1970's. While this act also focuses on car emissions, vehicle gas mileage, regional haze, power plant emissions and acid rain, to name a few topics, the law regulates emissions from outboard motors.

In order to understand this law and how it affects marine engines, we talked with Dan Ostrosky of Yamaha Motors in Cypress, California.

Q: Dan, why is this a clean air issue, rather than clean water?
A: The answer is found in the "science" of outboard motor technology. Simply stated, these motors exhaust directly into the water, shortly thereafter, the constituents such as hydrocarbons (HC’s) and nitrogen oxides (NOx), all regulated pollutants under the Clean Air Act rise into the air and do not stay suspended in the water.

Q: Is this law similar to the Clean Water Act in its purposes and goals?
A: Like the Clean Water Act, the law was designed to have uniform, nationwide application, thereby pressuring manufactures to develop cleaner burning outboard motors. The idea was to have a level playing field, applicable to all the states where outboard motors are sold. In effect, no state can have an economic advantage by being less protective, particularly since air pollution does not recognize state boundaries. Under this national legislation the various states are now required to meet the many federal standards for clean air, including HC and NOx emissions from outboard motors.

Q: What is the time frame for compliance?
A: In the 1990's, both Industry and the Federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) worked closely together to successfully adopt air pollution regulations governing the production and sale of outboard motors. The results were a tiered compliance schedule beginning in 1998, with the lowest levels mandated by 2006. Under this schedule exhaust emissions - that is the level of HC’s and NOx - from outboard motors had to be reduced 75% (from baseline) during the eight-year window. No small feat!

Q: How is compliance measured?
A: Compliance is obtained by certifying engine families with the EPA. Families contain those groups of engines that share similar technology and design. The certification is based on "worst case" as opposed to "best." This is to say that the compliance level of that particular family will not exceed the certified levels. These families also generate credits (based on sales volumes) of either positive or negative credits. This "credit balance," if on the positive side, allows corporations to sell non–compliant (negative credit) engines through what is called "Corporate Averaging." In effect, some motors may achieve greater than a 75% reduction, and some less. Compliance is achieved as long as the product line averages the required levels for that year.

Q: Has this method for measuring emission reductions been used for other industries?
A: The averaging calculation is basically the same mathematical concept now used in the automobile industry for determining gas mileage for new cars - the fleet average. The car manufacturers now must have a product line that achieves on average so many miles per gallon to be in compliance with the CAFÉ regulations adopted under this federal law.

Q: Why is California setting standards for outboard motors?
A: The law has a unique provision. California is granted a waiver from the law, and may establish its own air pollution standards that are more rigorous than the Federal EPA standards.

Q: Why?
A: Well, I would suggest several possible reasons. One being that California took the lead in the reduction of automotive air pollution - particularly for cars in the Los Angeles area, it was given special consideration in the Clean Air Act. Another may be that due to California’s unique geographic location, that creates what we call an "inversion layer" that limits air escapement to the upper atmospheres many days out of the year. [Editors note: Since California has 55 electoral votes in any presidential election, while Virginia, for example, has only 13, it is not hard to figure out the politics of the paramount role given California.]

Q: What has California done in setting emission levels for outboard motors?
A: California has adopted standards that are more demanding than the federal EPA standards. California operates through the California Air Resources Board, thus the acronym "CARB." (Look closely at a manufacturer’s catalog and you see the phrase meets CARB standards.)

Q: What is the impact of the California regulations?
A: They accelerated compliance with the Clean Air Act by demanding cleaner technology sooner than the federal EPA standards. For example, California required the manufacturers of outboard motors to meet the EPA 2006 standard (i.e., 75% reduction in HC and NOx emissions) by 2001. The good news is that all have complied. Nonetheless, by 2004 the manufacturers are also required to develop motors 20% cleaner than the EPA 2006 standard, and by 2008 outboard motors must be 85% cleaner than the EPA 2006 standard.

Q: What has been the effect of the bolder California standards and regulations?
A: California has, in effect, pushed the manufacturers very hard to develop new technologies in a very short period of time. The outboard motor industry is doing in four to six years what it took Detroit to do in 15 years for car emissions. The impact of this law has resulted in new advances in combustion technology, with more to come. To date the industry has met the challenge and has every expectation of meeting the California 2004 and 2008 requirements. However, compliance is not without cost to the consumer. Industry estimates that full cost of compliance, considering the research and development investment to meet the federal EPA or California CARB standards, is around 15% over the cost of a traditional carbureted motor.

Q: Yet, how will the industry actually comply?
A: Initially, it must be understood that it appears too inefficient and costly for manufacturers to build a "California only" motor. That means the California emission standards for 2004 and 2008 will, in effect, become the national standards for outboard motors. Looking at the various motor designs, the following conclusions may be drawn:

Under the EPA and California standards, the carbureted two stroke technology is clearly on the way out. It is very difficult to get an efficient, clean burn of gas using carburetors on a two stroke engine. About 20% of unburned fuel gets pushed out the exhaust into the water. The result - too high a level of HC’s and NOx, plus unwanted gas and oil on the water. No technology is presently available to change this result.
However, carbureted four stokes can meet the CARB standards or exceed them on the basis of existing technology. These four strokes will be around for a long time, and may be the future of engine design. Pick up any dealer catalog and you will see how their two stroke line of motors has been converted to four stroke, carbureted engines at almost all horse power levels. This trend will likely continue. Add to this the addition of EFI (electronic fuel injection) to a four stroke and you have an even cleaner responsive and fuel efficient engine.
Second, direct injection (DFI) technology (injecting gas directly into the combustion chamber) works and will allow two stroke engines to remain compliant for many years. Through DFI injection technology, just the precise amount of gas gets injected at the right time so that all is burned. The result is an engine with greater gas efficiency and far less emissions. The fuel efficiency of direct injection over carbureted motors, in some cases, is as great as 40%. This means longer, faster runs to your favorite fishing hole on less gas at less cost.
Third, you will see eventually some really high tech gadgets at the end of the exhaust pipe. These components are called after treatment devices or catalytic converters. As you may know, the catalytic converters for trucks and cars achieve significant reductions in the level of exhaust emissions, are expensive, and operate at high temperatures. The use of these after treatment devices "may" be one of the new technologies needed to meet more stringent emission levels beyond 2008, CARB standards.

Q: What does this mean when I buy a new motor?
A: You will find out that the buyer is in the driver’s seat, but at some added cost.

The fuel consumption will be greatly improved, saving in fuel costs and increasing the distance that may be traveled in a tournament. The proliferation of four stroke power choices throughout the horsepower range will reduce the need for adding oil to gas.
The manufactures are mandated to provide multi year, multi hour warranties for their emission components, as they are very confident that these new technologies have resulted in very reliable motors.
The motors on the market, whether two stroke or four stoke, will be quieter, as new technologies have also effectively reduced noise levels.
The manufactures - probably all – have certain models today that meet rigorous California standards and, will have entire line-ups complying prior to the 2008 time frame. It follows, you can take pride in operating a "clean" burning outboard motor.
And, finally, there will not be any fear of noncompliance with the most rigorous standards. This fact will also help in the resale of your bass boat.

Dan has been very helpful in explaining how this new law works, but the purpose of this article is to emphasis that Bass clubs now have a chance to be a voice in this debate over the Clean Air Act and the cost of compliance. Clubs can argue that the new technology is unwarranted and too costly. That is a losing fight - like trying to sweep back the incoming tide. The Clean Air Act is pushing technology to achieve a cleaner, healthier environment. Why fight that goal?

Let me give you some additional reasons. In my last visit to Lake Tahoe motors were required to meet the CARB standards, or you could not launch your boat. Motors used on the Colorado River within Grand Canyon National Park are now only 40hp four strokes. Some drinking water reservoirs have limited boat access on their waters to motors that meet the CARB standards. If your motor doesn’t have on the cover those little stars advertising compliance, you don’t launch. In water supply reservoirs, such as the Chickahominy to name one, an environmental argument can be made that the resources should only be available for fishing by those bass boats with the motors using the latest in clean technology.

Where does the Virginia Bass Federation stand on the Clean Air Act? For me it is one of the most significant laws passed in the last Century to enhance largemouth bass fishing. I want the law enforced.

There is an axiom in the politics of green issues. If you refuse to play, you don’t get a seat at the table when the real decisions are made. Does the Virginia Bass Federation want a seat at the table? Absent a hint of green, bass fishermen will be sitting on the side lines and won’t be at the table with the Big Boys.

This is the time bass fisherman should be as green as a largemouth bass and support the state and federal clean air standards for outboard motors.