The California Air Resources Board (CARB) shared a bulletin this week to notify the public of its implementation of the Zero-Emission Forklift (ZEF) regulation.

The bulletin reads:

“The purpose of this advisory is to notify the public on CARB’s implementation of the ZEF regulation, since CARB has not yet sought authorization from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) for the Zero Emission Forklift (ZEF) regulation pursuant to section 209(e)(2)(A) of the Clean Air Act. Until U.S. EPA grants such authorization or determines authorization is not necessary, CARB staff will not enforce the ZEF regulation against any privately-owned or operated fleets nor against any manufacturers or dealerships. CARB will not enforce the ZEF regulation for acts or omissions by any party that occur prior to U.S. EPA authorization of the ZEF regulation. Because CARB is committed to reducing air pollution to protect public health, we encourage affected industries to continue reducing their emissions and we look forward to continued partnership in these efforts.

CARB staff encourages all manufacturers and fleets to voluntarily report in the meantime. Zero-Emission Forklifts (ZEFs) are already widely used and often provide fuel and maintenance cost savings compared to tradition spark-ignition forklifts.

The advisory notice contains information on how this directly affects private, state, and local government fleets. Additional information may be found on the ZEF Regulation page.”

For any members with questions, please contact Matthew Allen, Vice President, State Government Affairs, at [email protected].