The Government has reported on the implementation of the President’s Instruction № Pr-1298 (Subclause A of Clause 5) dated May 14, 2013, to introduce new requirements to transport vehicles in regions with poor environmental conditions.
The Government, in particular, suggests the following measures to encourage drivers to use eco-friendly engine fuels, including gas motor fuel, with a view to reducing the emission of pollutants by motor vehicles:
- the use of electric vehicles (100% reduction in emissions) and hybrid cars (50% reduction in emissions);
- the use of alternative engine fuels (the use of gas motor fuel brings down carbon monoxide emissions by 66.7% to 75%, nitrogen oxide by 15%-20%, and excludes soot emissions);
- the use of additives to engine fuel that make it ecologically cleaner;
- the use of technical tools and design techniques (the installation of catalysts and introduction of engine units with air blowers and air coolers that help to reduce fuel consumption, ensure its effective combustion and decrease harmful emissions);
- introducing oversight over the condition and adjustment of car engines (the adjustment of a diesel engine may reduce soot emissions by up to 95% and nitrogen by up to 50%);
- exercising tougher monitoring of engine fuel quality and the transition of individual regions to using cleaner engine fuel of higher classes;
- imposing restrictions on the movement of certain categories of vehicles within the boundaries of populated localities;
- developing a transport network in urban agglomerations; reducing the number of stops and organizing, where practicable, non-stop transit (by building multi-level junctions, tunnels and pedestrian underpasses).
The Government suggests the following requirements to transport vehicles in regions with poor environmental conditions:
- the imposition of restrictions on vehicles below the 3rd ecological class in residential areas with over 300,000 people as of January 1, 2016;
- the imposition of restrictions on the entry of vehicles below the 4th and 5th ecological classes into certain residential areas with high or extremely high air pollution;
- the establishment of additional parameters for regular checkups of the technical condition and levels of harmful emissions by engines of vehicles depending on the year of their production at special testing rigs (under load).
In addition, the Government proposes the following measures to encourage the use of eco-friendly fuels, including gas motor fuel, in regions with poor environmental conditions:
- the enforcement of a strict requirement on the issuance of licenses for the transportation of passengers by vehicles outfitted for more than eight people (with the exception of cases where such transportation is undertaken under contract or in the interests of a legal entity or an individual entrepreneur) only to those passenger carriers that observe the quota on transport vehicles using gas motor fuel;
- the elaboration of incentives to encourage the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and local self-governments to implement programmes on the use of electric and hybrid vehicles and cars using gas motor fuel;
- the provision of preferences to owners of electric or hybrid cars and vehicles using gas motor fuel (such as insurance discounts, subsidies for the purchase of the aforementioned cars, and non-financial incentives, such as the permission to use designated transit lanes, unlimited free parking at public parking lots; advanced booking of parking places, exemption from payments for the use of motor roads and the permission to enter central city areas);
- an advertising campaign to encourage the switchover to gas motor fuel.
Considering that the introduction of the majority of the suggested additional requirements to transport vehicles aimed at encouraging the use of eco-friendly engine fuel may entail considerable financial expenditures from the budgets of constituent entities of the Russian Federation and those of local self-governments, it is deemed expedient to suggest that regions with poor environmental conditions should independently establish additional requirements to transport vehicles within the ambit of powers provided by the Federal Law On Atmospheric Air Protection.