New regulation to control air pollutant emissions of non-road mobile machinery to come into effect in June 2015
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     The Air Pollution Control (Non-road Mobile Machinery) (Emission) Regulation was approved by the Legislative Council today (February 25) and the Regulation will commence on June 1, 2015, to help improve air quality.

     The Regulation will introduce regulatory control on the emissions of non-road mobile machinery (NRMMs) including non-road vehicles, as well as mobile machines and equipment (regulated machines) such as crawler cranes, excavators and air compressors.

     A spokesman from the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said that the Regulation stipulates the emission requirements to be complied with by new NRMMs with a view to controlling their emissions and improving air quality. The control also helps protect areas in the vicinity of container terminals and construction sites from environmental nuisance caused by NRMMs.  

     The 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 the prevailing emission standards for newly registered road vehicles, which is Euro V. Upon confirmation of their compliance with the emission requirements, they will be issued with an approval label by the EPD. Existing NRMMs will be exempted from the emission compliance requirement. Upon application by their owners, the EPD will issue exemption labels to them. A grace period of six months will be allowed for the applications for exemption.

     "Emissions from NRMMs account for about 6 per cent and 8 per cent of the 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 for both NOx and RSP as compared with those at the EU Stage I level," he said.

     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 label issued by the EPD. Owners of existing NRMMs must apply for exemption during the six-month grace period between June 1 and November 30. Late application will not be considered. Starting on 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.

     Any person who sells or leases a regulated machine for local use, or uses a regulated machine in specified activities or 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 EPD conducted briefing sessions for the relevant trades on the implementation of the Regulation in December 2014. Further briefing sessions will be held in March and April 2015.

     For enquiries, please contact the EPD at 2594 6590 or nonroadenq@epd.gov.hk.

Ends/Wednesday, February 25, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:31

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