Paul Muschick on annual vehicle emissions tests: PA drivers could finally get relief

Pennsylvania’s outdated vehicle emissions testing program is getting a long-overdue inspection itself.Five state senators want to give the program a pretty good overhaul. I hope they succeed. Lehigh Valley motorists would benefit.They propose testing every two years, instead of annually as occurs now. They want to exempt cars, vans and light-duty trucks from testing for the first eight years after they are built. That last idea is a big one.It makes no sense for new cars to be tested, as they are built to meet emissions standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Requiring a test, which can cost about $40, just wastes the money of people who own newer models.Emissions testing of gas vehicles started in Pennsylvania in 1990, in just the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas, as a federal requirement to improve air quality. Testing has expanded since and now is required in 25 counties, including Lehigh and Northampton.Legislation to amend the program will be introduced soon by Republican senators Kim Ward (Westmoreland County), Wayne Langerholc (Cambria County), Pat Stefano (Fayette County), Elder Vogel (Beaver County) and Michele Brooks (Mercer County), they announced Thursday.They said it’s time to modernize the program because air quality has improved and nearly all vehicles — an average of 96% — pass their tests.It is time. And their plan is in line with what other states do.Eighteen states exempt newer vehicles and 16 states test every two years. New Jersey and New York do both.In addition to those changes, the lawmakers also want to remove seven counties from the program — Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer and Westmoreland.I’m not sold that the list has to be limited to only those counties.The legislators pushing this plan represent several of those counties. They’re trying to cut their constituents a break. Why not give others, including Lehigh Valley residents, the same break, since their counties also are meeting federal pollution limits?The senators are basing their proposals on an analysis of the emissions testing program by the Joint State Government Commission. The Senate asked the commission to research the impact of removing from the program 20 third-, fourth- and fifth-class counties, including Lehigh and Northampton.The report noted that almost all of them are meeting federal air pollution standards. The exceptions are Beaver, Berks, Chester and Lebanon counties.The commission concluded that removing all 20 counties probably would require other steps to be taken to meet air quality standards.But removing only the seven counties that the senators suggest, either one at a time or in groups, possibly could be done with minimal need to curb pollution elsewhere to stay within federal limits, the commission said.That’s because of favorable factors such as the number of light-duty vehicles and older vehicles there.I understand why senators Ward, Langerholc, Stefano, Vogel and Brooks are following the findings of the Joint State Government Commission.As their legislation gets debated, I hope lawmakers from other counties speak up, too, on behalf of their constituents who shouldn’t have to pay for emissions tests as often as they do.If it’s not practical to remove other counties now, then consider them for removal later.Before you get too excited about the possibility of not having to take your car for an emissions test every year, or not having to take a new car for eight years, here’s the big caveat.Pennsylvania officials don’t have the power to make this happen themselves. The EPA makes the call.All lawmakers can do is pass legislation directing the state Department of Environmental Protection to submit an updated pollution control plan proposing these changes. The EPA would decide whether to grant them.Another state has gotten similar changes approved. The EPA late last year allowed North Carolina to stop vehicle emissions testing in 26 counties, according to a legislative memo. Tennessee has a similar request pending.But let’s not worry now about what the feds will think. State lawmakers have to do their part first. Their suggestions are solid, and long overdue.Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 610-820-6582 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
Source: Morningcall