05-08-2008, 06:52 AM
Emissions to fall despite testing cuts
Exclusion of older cars to have little effect, state says
By LEE BERGQUIST
lbergquist@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 2, 2008
Air emissions from cars and trucks are projected to fall between 2009 and 2018, even when tens of thousands of vehicles will be exempted from southeastern Wisconsin's vehicle testing program.
Despite exemptions for vehicles built before 1996, emissions of nitrogen oxide are projected to drop 66% and emissions from volatile organic compounds are projected to fall by 47%, state Department of Natural Resources figures show.
The decline is anticipated because most of the vehicles exempted will be replaced by newer cars with better pollution-control equipment.
Starting on July 1, only vehicles from model years 1996 to 2005 will be tested.
That's a change from current procedures, in which vehicles from 1968 to 2005 are tested.
The newest cars on the road - currently the 2008, 2007 and 2006 model years - already are not required to undergo testing.
Nitrogen oxide and VOCs are byproducts of the combustion process and play a major role in the creation of smog, which can cause respiratory and heart ailments.
If the changes had not been made, and more cars had continued to be tested, DNR projections made available this week show emissions of nitrogen oxide would be only 1.7% lower and VOC emissions only 3.6% lower in 2009.
DNR officials said the difference is inconsequential to the state's overall efforts to control air quality.
The vehicle testing program is required in seven counties that violate federal standards for ozone, the main ingredient in smog.
In addition to the influx of cleaner cars, officials said emissions will fall in the coming years because the July 1 changes will also require testing - for first time - of diesel-powered vehicles and trucks in the 10,000- to 14,000-pound range.
These heavy vehicles are typically delivery trucks and the largest pickup trucks on the market, DOT officials said.
By testing fewer cars, the DOT expects to save money in the $13.3 million annual program. The contract for the current vendor is expiring.
Also, vehicles built after 1995 are outfitted with computer technology that makes it simpler for DOT to test vehicles. Older vehicles require technicians to conduct tests on rollers, which is more expensive.
Still, it is the oldest cars that pollute the most.
State Department of Transportation records show that, in some years, one-third of the cars flunk their first emissions test.
These vehicles now are required to get tested again and make repairs, according to Charles Rhodes, supervisor of the inspection program.
Nearly 99% of the cars eventually pass inspection, DOT figures show.
While the older group of cars won't be tested, most still will meet emissions requirements, and each year, they make up a smaller portion of cars on the road, Rhodes said.
Seventy percent of all vehicles are from 1996 to 2005 model years. The latest three model years make up another 9% of all cars, Rhodes said.
"If you go to a used-car lot, good luck trying to find an '87," Rhodes said.
There is another reason DOT is interested in testing vehicles 4 years old or older: Federal law requires the auto industry to warranty vehicles' computers that help control emissions and the catalytic converter for eight years or 80,000 miles.
The inspection program is the easiest way to ensure equipment is working properly, he said.
Exclusion of older cars to have little effect, state says
By LEE BERGQUIST
lbergquist@journalsentinel.com
Posted: May 2, 2008
Air emissions from cars and trucks are projected to fall between 2009 and 2018, even when tens of thousands of vehicles will be exempted from southeastern Wisconsin's vehicle testing program.
Despite exemptions for vehicles built before 1996, emissions of nitrogen oxide are projected to drop 66% and emissions from volatile organic compounds are projected to fall by 47%, state Department of Natural Resources figures show.
The decline is anticipated because most of the vehicles exempted will be replaced by newer cars with better pollution-control equipment.
Starting on July 1, only vehicles from model years 1996 to 2005 will be tested.
That's a change from current procedures, in which vehicles from 1968 to 2005 are tested.
The newest cars on the road - currently the 2008, 2007 and 2006 model years - already are not required to undergo testing.
Nitrogen oxide and VOCs are byproducts of the combustion process and play a major role in the creation of smog, which can cause respiratory and heart ailments.
If the changes had not been made, and more cars had continued to be tested, DNR projections made available this week show emissions of nitrogen oxide would be only 1.7% lower and VOC emissions only 3.6% lower in 2009.
DNR officials said the difference is inconsequential to the state's overall efforts to control air quality.
The vehicle testing program is required in seven counties that violate federal standards for ozone, the main ingredient in smog.
In addition to the influx of cleaner cars, officials said emissions will fall in the coming years because the July 1 changes will also require testing - for first time - of diesel-powered vehicles and trucks in the 10,000- to 14,000-pound range.
These heavy vehicles are typically delivery trucks and the largest pickup trucks on the market, DOT officials said.
By testing fewer cars, the DOT expects to save money in the $13.3 million annual program. The contract for the current vendor is expiring.
Also, vehicles built after 1995 are outfitted with computer technology that makes it simpler for DOT to test vehicles. Older vehicles require technicians to conduct tests on rollers, which is more expensive.
Still, it is the oldest cars that pollute the most.
State Department of Transportation records show that, in some years, one-third of the cars flunk their first emissions test.
These vehicles now are required to get tested again and make repairs, according to Charles Rhodes, supervisor of the inspection program.
Nearly 99% of the cars eventually pass inspection, DOT figures show.
While the older group of cars won't be tested, most still will meet emissions requirements, and each year, they make up a smaller portion of cars on the road, Rhodes said.
Seventy percent of all vehicles are from 1996 to 2005 model years. The latest three model years make up another 9% of all cars, Rhodes said.
"If you go to a used-car lot, good luck trying to find an '87," Rhodes said.
There is another reason DOT is interested in testing vehicles 4 years old or older: Federal law requires the auto industry to warranty vehicles' computers that help control emissions and the catalytic converter for eight years or 80,000 miles.
The inspection program is the easiest way to ensure equipment is working properly, he said.
. Back then all you did was fix what was on the check list then take the car to a local cop shop for compliance and that was the end of it. They even checked ya for glass packs but the fix was a wad of extra course steel wool stuffed in the pipe(s). Of course you would put it in right before you went to the front desk then pulled it out with a coat hanger when he went back inside, 
Cool thing too was there was no state fee's involved!