40 CFR § 1068.250 - Extending compliance deadlines for small businesses under hardship.
(a) After considering the circumstances, we may extend the compliance deadline for you to meet new or revised emission standards as long as you meet all the conditions and requirements in this section.
(b) You must be a small business to be eligible for this exemption.
(c) Send the Designated Compliance Officer a written request for an extension as soon as possible before you are in violation. In your request, show that all the following conditions and requirements apply:
(1) You have taken all possible business, technical, and economic steps to comply.
(i) In the case of importers of engines/equipment produced by other companies, show that you attempted to find a manufacturer capable of supplying complying products as soon as you became aware of the applicable requirements but were unable to do so.
(ii) For all other manufacturers, show that the burden of compliance costs prevents you from meeting the requirements of this chapter.
(2) Not having the exemption will jeopardize the solvency of your company.
(3) No other allowances are available under the regulations in this chapter to avoid the impending violation.
(d) In describing the steps you have taken to comply under paragraph (c)(1) of this section, include at least the following information:
(1) Describe your business plan, showing the range of projects active or under consideration.
(2) Describe your current and projected financial status, with and without the burden of complying fully with the applicable regulations in this chapter.
(3) Describe your efforts to raise capital to comply with regulations in this chapter (this may not apply for importers).
(4) Identify the engineering and technical steps you have taken or those you plan to take to comply with regulations in this chapter.
(5) Identify the level of compliance you can achieve. For example, you may be able to produce engines/equipment that meet a somewhat less stringent emission standard than the regulations in this chapter require.
(e) Include in your request a plan showing how you will meet all the applicable requirements as quickly as possible.
(f) You must give us other relevant information if we ask for it.
(g) An authorized representative of your company must sign the request and include the statement: “All the information in this request is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge.”
(h) [Reserved]
(j) We may approve extensions of the compliance deadlines as reasonable under the circumstances up to one model year at a time, and up to three years total.
(k) Add a permanent label to all engines/equipment exempted under this section, consistent with § 1068.45, with at least the following items:
(1) The label heading “EMISSION CONTROL INFORMATION”.
(2) Your corporate name and trademark.
(3) Engine displacement (in liters or cubic centimeters), and model year of the engine/equipment (as applicable); or whom to contact for further information. We may also require that you include maximum engine power.
(4) A statement describing the engine's status as an exempted engine:
(i) If the engine/equipment does not meet any emission standards, add the following statement:“THIS [engine, equipment, vehicle, etc.] IS EXEMPT UNDER 40 CFR 1068.250 FROM EMISSION STANDARDS AND RELATED REQUIREMENTS.”
(ii) If the engine/equipment meets alternate emission standards as a condition of an exemption under this section, we may specify a different statement to identify the alternate emission standards.