ARB OBD II Public Workshop
                          EPA Statement
                             7/24/96

     Good morning, my name is Todd Sherwood, and I'm the OBD Project
Manager in EPA's Vehicle Programs and Compliance Division.  I am
making this statement on behalf of Margo Oge, Director of EPA's
Office of Mobile Sources.

     Despite the large volume of comments submitted to the Agency
concerning California's OBD II waiver request, EPA staff will
complete the necessary Agency decision making documentation shortly.
Since the decision document has not yet been signed by Assistant
Administrator Mary Nichols, the OBD II waiver has not yet been
granted.  However, I can inform you that the recommendation of OMS
staff is for a full granting of the waiver as requested by the Air
Resources Board, and we fully expect the Assistant Administrator to
follow that recommendation.

     While the docket for the OBD II waiver proceeding remains open
for the purpose of placing comments in the docket, the comment
period is over and EPA staff does not expect to actively consider
any more information submitted to the docket for analysis in this
proceeding. As I stated, the decision document is almost complete
and will soon be sent for consideration and signature by the
Assistant Administrator.  At this time, I can see no reason,
including the submission of additional comments, to delay this
process for further work by OMS staff.

     I would like to make some general statements about OBD and
EPA's hopes for future cooperation from all sides to ensure the
successful implementation of OBD.  EPA believes that OBD system
checks will prove to be an extremely useful and important part of a
vehicle's emission control system and will help ensure that such
vehicles will continue to operate at the lowest emission levels
possible throughout their useful lives. 

     Additionally, while OBD II is currently required in California
and a few other states, the National Low Emission Vehicle program
will require OBD II systems on vehicles nationwide. Therefore, it is
vitally important that all parties work together to ensure the
proper operation of OBD II systems.  Public confidence in the
accuracy of OBD II is crucial.

     As you are well aware, widespread introduction of OBD II
systems began only one year ago.  As a result, at this time it is
very difficult to evaluate OBD's effect on real world malfunction
detection because most vehicles produced today will not develop
malfunctioning systems for several years.  This provides us some
time, albeit brief, to begin working on how to best evaluate OBD to
determine its ultimate effect on fleetwide emissions.

     As EPA sees it, we must work on 4 very critical factors:

     1) Evaluating the effectiveness of OBD technology and its
     ability to detect real world problems;

     2) OBD's ability to facilitate proper malfunction diagnosis and
     proper repair procedures;

     3) Evaluation of public response to illuminated malfunction
     indicator lights; and,

     4) Effective public outreach and education to ensure public
     acceptance of OBD systems.

     It will be necessary for us to work cooperatively -- the auto
makers, the parts manufacturers, the repair industry, EPA, ARB,
states -- to accurately evaluate these four factors.

     Soon, EPA Administrator Carol Browner will sign a final
rulemaking that requires all I/M programs to incorporate OBD system
checks into their test procedures.  Beginning in the 1998 calendar
year, EPA will receive data from I/M programs around the country
regarding the OBD status of all 1996 and later model year vehicles.
While OBD-related data coming from I/M programs will be valuable, it
will not answer all questions.  Thus, EPA will need the help of the
entire auto industry to evaluate OBD's impact on in-use emissions
and whether improvements need to be made.

     EPA is encouraged by the amount of OBD-related information that
has already been shared with the Agency.  OBD is a new technology
and EPA recognizes that it's development has been a challenge for
the auto industry.  This technology has great potential to
efficiently diagnose emission control system problems and alert
vehicle owners to these problems.  As a result, OBD is expected to
play a major role in our overall efforts to minimize the impacts of
motor vehicles on urban air quality.  It is critical for us to
maintain effective communications and to share all information and
new developments.  EPA is committed to working with California, auto
manufacturers, the auto repair industry, and any other interested
party to gather and evaluate data on the effectiveness of OBD.

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For further information, Todd Sherwood can be reached at:
     313-668-4405
     sherwood.todd@epamail.epa.gov