Navistar International – the lone manufacturer choosing exhaust gas recirculation to meet 2010 emissions standards – has filed a petition against the U.S. EPA for removing documents from an administrative record pertaining to selective catalytic reduction guidelines, including e-mail discussions about SCR between EPA, California Air Resources Board and Engine Manufacturers Association staff.
In one such e-mail, Jed Mandel, EMA president, writes to an EPA representative, “We have had a number of internal phone calls about the SCR guidance document… and I am pleased to report that we have convinced everyone to drink the Kool-Aid.”
Navistar’s July 2 filing argues that the EPA first failed to file an administrative record regarding EPA’s heavy-duty diesel engine certification requirements for SCR use, and claims the agency later “self-selected” documents for this purpose.
Once posted, EPA removed several items (including the above message), which Navistar says detailed important information on the “inefficacy and environmental hazard” of SCR. EPA later sent engine manufacturers an amended version of the record.
In March, Navistar also asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for a review of EPA’s final record of the 2009 SCR guidelines, as well as review of a 2001 rule concerning diesel fuel sulfur control standards. The court has yet to announce its rulings for any of the lawsuits Navistar has brought against the EPA, which still fully supports SCR usage in 2010.
