3/1/06-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed a bill that will soon open the gates for sales of diesel from refineries outside California.
Since 1993, strict emissions standards put in place by the California Air Resources Board have banned the sale of diesel made at refineries outside the state. Thus, the state has relied solely on so-called CARB diesel.
But supporters of the new law, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2007, maintain that newer diesel fuels burn as clean or cleaner than the in-state fuels mandated by CARB and thus should be allowed in the state.
Such a move would circumvent the CARB regulations, creating a situation in which national diesel could be produced and sold in California.
The new law, previously AB679, also requires the state board to convene a panel of interested parties to develop a test protocol for the evaluation of CARB diesel, and to recommend to the board a subsequent test program to measure the emissions benefits of CARB diesel.
In addition, it requires the state board, no later than Dec. 31, 2007, to complete the test program and submit the results to specified committees of the Legislature.

Click here to read the 2005 legislative updates for AB679.