(1) Reasons for Proposal
The Clean Air Conservation Act was amended (Act no. 16306; promulgated on April 2, 2019; to be enforced on April 3, 2020) to prescribe such matters as abolishing the designation of air quality control areas, which are operated to implement air quality improvement measures in areas that exceed air quality limits, etc. Accordingly, this Amendment modifies the relevant provisions, such as procedures for the designation/revocation of air quality control areas.
It also prescribes other matters delegated by the Act, such as methods and procedures, etc., for occasional inspections and performance testing of exhaust gas reduction devices and low-emission engines when an exception is made to allow the removal of parts associated with the exhaust gases of a motor vehicle.
It tightens management standards for agents for managing measuring devices, tightens permissible emission levels for construction machinery and agricultural machinery, and otherwise addresses and improves upon a number of weaknesses that have emerged from the operation of the current system.
(2) Major Provisions
A. Modify relevant provisions in accordance with the enactment/amendment of the act to abolish air quality control areas and expand and reorganize them into air quality control zones (Articles 17 through 23 deleted)
B. Tighten management standards for agents for managing measuring devices (Article 37-4)
Add provisions to the management standards to prohibit the omission of measurement results or preparing false information by manipulating measuring devices, and newly insert administrative measures for non-compliance.
C. Specify the scope of construction machinery added to the scope of items subject to low emission measures in the amended Act (Article 79)
Prescribe that any forklift or excavator that was produced under the permissible emission levels in the attached Table 17, subparagraph 4, item A, or that was produced prior to December 31, 2003, to the scope of construction machinery subject to low emission measures.
D. Prescribe specific methods and procedures, etc., for the certification, performance testing, and occasional inspection of exhaust gas reduction devices and low emission engines (Article 82, Article 82-4, Article 82-8 through 82-11)
E. Modify facility management standards to reduce fugitive emissions (attached Table 10-2)
Prescribe that when a ship is painted using environmentally friendly paints at a ship painting facility, an environmentally friendly paint usage rate shall apply instead of an obligation to install prevention facilities.
F. Prescribe grounds on which to provide incentives to places of business that have signed a voluntary reduction agreement (attached Table 11)
Prescribe grounds on which to reduce the frequency of self-measurements for places of business that have entered into a voluntary agreement with the Minister of Environment on the formulation, implementation, etc., of an air pollutant reduction plan
G. Tighten permissible emission levels for construction/agricultural machinery (attached Table 17)
Tighten the limits by up to 2-fold for granular matter (from 0.03 to 0.015 g/kWh), and newly insert limits for ammonia (10 ppm) and particle count (1x1012/kWh).
H. Strengthen administrative measures against unlawful acts concerning self-measurement (attached Table 36)
Strengthen penalties imposed when a business entity falsely records self-measurement results by manipulation, etc.
