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The Air Pollution Control (Non-road Mobile Machinery) (Emission) Regulation was gazetted today (January 23) to introduce regulatory control of emissions from non-road mobile machinery (NRMMs) with a view to reducing emissions and improving air quality. NRMMs include non-road vehicles as well as mobile machines or equipment (regulated machines) such as crawler cranes, excavators and air compressors.
A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the Regulation stipulates the emission requirements to be complied with by new NRMMs. Regulated machines must comply with the emission standards of Stage IIIA of the European Union (EU) or the equivalent, while non-road vehicles must comply with Euro V emission standards in line with the prevailing emission standards for road vehicles at the time of first registration in Hong Kong. Existing NRMMs will be exempted from the statutory emission control requirements, but they will need to apply for exemption labels from the EPD. A grace period of six months will be allowed for these applications.
"Emissions from NRMMs account for about 6 per cent and 8 per cent of local emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and respirable suspended particulates (RSP) respectively. NRMMs complying with the EU Stage IIIA standard will emit about 60 per cent less NOx and RSP compared with those at EU Stage I level. Controlling emissions from NRMMs will help improve the ambient air quality and reduce the environmental nuisance caused in areas close to container terminals and construction sites," he said.
Any person who sells or leases a regulated machine for local use, or uses a regulated machine in specified activities or a non-road vehicle in specified locations without the EPD's approval, is liable to a fine of up to $200,000 and imprisonment for up to six months.
The Regulation will be tabled at the Legislative Council for negative vetting on January 28. Subject to the approval of the Council, the Regulation will take effect on June 1, 2015. From September 1, 2015 all regulated machines sold or leased for use in Hong Kong must be approved or exempted with a proper label in a prescribed format issued by the EPD. Owners of existing NRMMs must apply for exemption during a six-month grace period between June 1 and November 30. Starting from December 1, 2015 only approved or exempted NRMMs with a proper label are allowed to be used in specified activities and locations including construction sites, container terminals and back up facilities, restricted areas of the airport, designated waste disposal facilities and specified processes.
Ends/Friday, January 23, 2015
Issued at HKT 12:01
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