CARB Engages with Stakeholders on the development of the ACC II Regulations

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) conducted a public workshop to provide input on the development of the Advanced Clean Cars II (ACC II) regulations. The ACC II regulations seek to reduce criteria and greenhouse gas emissions from new light- and medium-duty vehicles beyond the 2025 model year, and increase the number of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for sale.

Building on the May and August 2021 workshops, CARB presented updated analyses and proposals to amend the Low Emission Vehicle (or LEV IV) Regulation to reduce criteria pollutant emissions and updated analyses and proposals to amend the ZEV Regulation. In addition, updates to the ZEV assurance measures and updates to proposed measures to increase access to ZEVs for priority communities was presented.

This public workshop was held on October 13, 2021. Interested parties may view the workshop recording here.

New California Regulations Emphasize Partnerships

 by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

Clean fleet regulations in California mean that commercial carriers must work with their partners, such as warehouse operators and subcontractors, to ensure compliance with all applicable rules.

Advanced Clean Tech News for the Commercial Transport Sector has provided an overview of what the new and future laws may mean for the commercial carrier operators here.

IEC TC 105 Open Calls for Experts

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

IEC/TC 105 (Fuel Cell Technologies) has several open calls.

Maritime

IEC/TC 105 issued a Call for Experts for a newly formed ad hoc group - Fuel cells in the maritime sector.

National Committees are kindly requested to express their interest in establishing a new ad hoc group 14 on the topic of ‘Fuel cells in the maritime sector’ by nominating experts and/or candidates for the position of the convenor.

Portable

The Convenorship of Advisory Group 4 (AG 4) - Portable is open. If you are interested in becoming the Convenor of this Advisory Group or wish to propose a nomination please contact

Advisory Group 4 (AG 4) - Portable aids the coordination of the work of WG 7, 8, 9, 10, 20 and 21.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems

A liaison to ISO 20/SC16 - Unmanned Aircraft Systems has been formally established and IEC/TC 105 is seeking to appoint a liaison. The scope of ISO 20/SC 16 - Unmanned Aircraft Systems is "Standardization in the field of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) including, but not limited to, classification, design, manufacture, operation (including maintenance) and safety management of UAS operations."

Stationary

IEC/TC 105 has approved of the new project IEC 62282-3-202 - Fuel cell technologies - Part 3-202: Stationary fuel cell power systems - Performance test methods for small fuel cell power systems that can be complemented with a supplementary heat generator for multiple units operation by an energy management system.

Parties in North America who are interested in any of these activities are asked to contact Mark Duda of CSA.

CGA Launches Hydrogen Safety Campaign

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

The Compressed Gas Association (CGA) has recently announced the launch of a new campaign entitled Hydrogen "Safety is Step One" to showcase the importance of safety standards for emerging hydrogen technologies.

CGA’s full “Safety is Step One” article is available here: https://www.cganet.com/cga-launches-hydrogen-safety-is-step-one-campaign/.

CGA recently published two new end user safety posters on the Safe Use of Compressed Gas Cylinders & Containers and the Safe Use of Refrigerated & Cryogenic Liquids to the following pages on their public website:

CGA offers safety posters as educational resources to support the safe use of industry’s products and equipment. CGA notes that these posters are not a substitute for reading and following codes and regulations, industry standards, and supplier instructions.

Access to the complete and updated list of posters are available free to the general public at https://www.cganet.com/resources/safety-posters/.

Europe Adopts Proposals on Low-Carbon Gases

Excerpted from Commission proposes new EU framework to decarbonise gas markets, promote hydrogen and reduce methane emissions

The European Commission has adopted a set of legislative proposals to decarbonize the EU gas market by facilitating the uptake of renewable and low carbon gases, including hydrogen, and to ensure energy security for all citizens in Europe.

The Commission's proposals (regulation and directive) create the conditions for a shift from fossil natural gas to renewable and low-carbon gases, in particular biomethane and hydrogen, and strengthen the resilience of the gas system. One of the main aims is to establish a market for hydrogen, create the right environment for investment, and enable the development of dedicated infrastructure, including for trade with third countries. The market rules will be applied in two phases, before and after 2030, and notably cover access to hydrogen infrastructures, separation of hydrogen production and transport activities, and tariff setting. A new governance structure in the form of the European Network of Network Operators for Hydrogen (ENNOH) will be created to promote a dedicated hydrogen infrastructure, cross-border coordination and interconnector network construction, and elaborate on specific technical rules.

Further information is available here.

AIChE Provides Hydrogen Safety Fundamentals Download

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers has made available a free download on hydrogen safety fundamentals in their Chemical Engineering Progress (CEP) online publication.

Topics covered in this article:

  • Establishing a basis of safety

  • Hazards of hydrogen

  • Technical aspects of identifying hazards and managing risk

  • Embracing a risk-based process safety program

To download your free copy, click here.

Latest Gaps Progress Report Available: ANSI UASSC Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems 

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) recently announced the availability of a Gaps Progress Report tracking efforts over the last six months by standards developing organizations (SDOs) and others to address the gaps identified in the Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (version 2.0, June 2020), published by the ANSI Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC).

For further information on the UASSC, the Standardization Roadmap, or the Gaps Progress Report, please visit www.ansi.org/uassc.

NFPA 55 Update

by Karen Quackenbush, FCHEA

NFPA 55: Compressed Gases and Cryogenic Fluids Code, has completed the Second Draft phase. You can view the Second Draft report online at: https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=55&tab=nextedition.

Please note that the document is open for filing a Notice of Intent to Make a Motion (NITMAM) until February 22, 2022.

NFPA 55 is on the Annual 2022 revision cycle. If no NITMAMs are received and certified, the next edition is expected to be published May, 2022.

For more information on the NFPA Standards Development Process, please visit https://www.nfpa.org/Codes-and-Standards/Standards-Development/How-the-process-works.