Are boats, gas-powered lawnmowers, and other small engines significant sources of air pollution?
Yes! The EPA classifies “non-road”, “off-road”, or “off-highway” engines as power equipment, recreation vehicles, farm and construction machinery, lawn and garden equipment, marine vessels, locomotives, aircraft, and many others. Until amendments were made to the Clean Air Act in 1990, these engines had no federal law regulating their emissions. The new amendments stated that the EPA now had to research the air quality degradation ensued when these different machines were operated. They found that non-road engines emitted large amounts of oxides of nitrogen, hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. The EPA also found that the particulate matter emitted from most of these engines was worse than that emitted from heavy-duty highway trucks! This led to more stringent regulations for these types of engines. Check out the EPA’s Nonroad Engine website for a thorough explanation of these laws.
