Senate OKs state emissions testing changes
The state Senate approved a package of five bills reforming the vehicle emissions testing program, also referred to as the Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) program.
The reform measures approved Tuesday would exempt newer vehicles, change the annual emissions testing to a two-year testing requirement, and remove counties meeting or exceeding air quality standards from the testing requirement.
The bills were introduced by Sen. Kim Ward, R-39th, who chairs the transportation committee, Sen. Elder Vogel, R-47th, and other senators.
Similar reforms passed in California, which has more stringent vehicle emissions standards than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and other jurisdictions that join Pennsylvania in the federally-mandated Northeast Ozone Transport Region, according to a press release from the Senate.
Pennsylvania’s federally-sanctioned I/M program requires motorists in 25 counties to participate in annual emissions testing for gasoline-powered passenger cars, vans and light-duty trucks. Vehicles made before 1975, diesel powered vehicles and motorcycles are exempt from emissions testing.
From 2011-17, an average of 5.7 million subject vehicles were tested each year in Pennsylvania and less than 4 percent failed. Half of these vehicles are 8 years old or newer and less than 2 percent of these newer vehicles failed.
Senate Bill 742 would exempt subject vehicles newer than 8 years old from emissions testing.
Bill 743 would change the annual emissions testing to a two-year testing requirement for subject vehicles older than eight years. Bill 744 would remove Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer and Westmoreland counties from the testing requirement.
Bill 745 would replace the tests in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia regions with tests for subject vehicles made from 1992-95 and subject light-duty trucks from 1996 and newer.
Bill 746 would extend the date for existing emissions inspection stations to obtain new emissions testing equipment from Nov. 1, 2019, to July 1, 2021.
