Emissions from off-road engines contribute to air pollution which leads to adverse human health and negative environmental impacts.
In Canada, emissions from off-road small spark-ignition (SSI) engines are currently regulated by means of the Off-Road Small Spark-Ignition Engine Emission Regulations which were published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on November 19, 20031, and align exhaust emissions standards for engines of the 2005 and later model year with the Phase 2 standards of the United States (U.S.) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). These engines are defined as those using a spark plug or other sparking device and developing no more than 19 kilowatts of power. Off-road SSI engines are typically found in lawn and garden machines (hedge trimmers, brush cutters, lawnmowers, garden tractors, snowblowers, etc.); in light-duty industrial machines (generator sets, welders, pressure washers, etc.); and in light-duty logging machines (chainsaws, log splitters, shredders, etc.). In 2008, the U.S. EPA published new evaporative and Phase 3 exhaust standards for these types of products which were phased-in in the U.S. starting with the 2010 and 2011 model years, respectively. All SSI engines in Canada are imported, as there is no domestic engine production presently.
Air pollutant emissions from off-road large spark-ignition (LSI) engines are presently regulated in the U.S. by means of the EPA's "Tier 2" emission standards, but there are no existing regulations for LSI engine emissions in place in Canada. All LSI engines used domestically are believed to be imported from other countries, as there are no businesses operating in Canada that can be classified as manufacturers of LSI engines. Even though LSI engines entering the Canadian market are not required to comply with the Tier 2 standards, it is estimated that many of these engines in Canada already comply with them. Many imported LSI engines are installed in machines by Canadian businesses and sold domestically and abroad. These engines are defined as those off-road engines using a spark plug or other sparking device and developing more than 19 kilowatts of power. Off-road LSI engines are usually powered by gasoline, propane or natural gas and are used to power forklifts, generators, and many other farm, industrial and construction machines.
