Senate Approves New Method For Testing Car And Truck Exhaust

RALEIGH - North Carolina will have a new tool for fighting ozone-forming emissions from cars and trucks, under legislation the N.C. Senate approved Wednesday.

The legislation requires service stations to use a new, more effective method for testing the air-pollution controls on cars and trucks starting in 2002. The bill now goes back to the N.C. House of Representatives, which passed a slightly different bill last month, for concurrence.

"Motor vehicles account for about half of the ozone-forming emissions in North Carolina," said Bill Holman, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "This new test will help us do a better job testing the air-pollution controls on cars and trucks, so we can reduce ozone levels. The new test also will be simpler to use, more effective at detecting problems, and less costly to consumers than other options."

The Senate voted 47-to-1 to approve the bill (H.B. 1638), which will require service stations to inspect cars and trucks using their on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems, or computerized equipment installed on all new vehicles since 1996. The bill builds on legislation that the General Assembly passed last summer to enhance and expand the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance (I&M) program.

Ozone, the key component in urban smog, is the most widespread air quality problem in North Carolina. In 1999, ozone levels exceeded the standard in North Carolina on 68 days, fifth highest among the 50 states. Cars, trucks and other mobile sources account for about half of the ozone-forming emissions statewide and up to 90 percent in major metropolitan areas.

To deal with the ozone problem, Governor Jim Hunt has proposed a Clean Air Plan that calls for substantial reductions in emissions from motor vehicles and power plants. The state legislature enacted a major portion of the Governor's plan last year by adopting legislation that: enhances and expands the auto emissions testing program from nine to 48 counties by 2006; requires low-sulfur gasoline statewide by 2004; offers incentives for alternative fuel vehicles; and provides more funding for rail and mass transit.

Another key element of the Governor's plan is tougher controls on nitrogen-oxide (NOx) emissions from utilities and other large industrial sources. The N.C. Environmental Management Commission is now considering rules that would require coal-fired electric power plants to cut their NOx emissions by 50 percent or more between 2000 and 2007. The commission plans to hold public hearings on the proposed rules during July in Raleigh, Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Asheville and Franklin.

The auto testing requirements in the 1999 clean air legislation were set to expire, however, unless the General Assembly established a fee for the new test. The new legislation (H.B. 1638) postpones the fee decision but requires service stations to use the OBD testing system for inspecting the air pollution controls on vehicles.

The existing emissions test, which is required in nine urban counties, uses a probe to directly measure the concentrations of pollutants in the tailpipes of vehicles. But the existing tailpipe test does not determine the cause of high pollutant levels, and it doesn't measure for nitrogen oxides (NOx), the main cause of ozone pollution.

The new OBD test doesn't directly measure pollutants in exhaust, but instead uses vehicles' computer systems to determine whether all of their pollution controls are working. If a vehicle fails the OBD test, the computer identifies what needs to be repaired. OBD testing also is much less costly and time-consuming than other emissions testing methods.

Emissions tests currently are required in nine counties: Cabarrus, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Orange, Union and Wake. Under the new legislation, OBD tests will be required in the nine existing counties for 1996 and newer vehicles, with tailpipe tests required for 1975 through 1995 vehicles, starting on July 1, 2002. OBD tests only will be required in all new counties added to the emissions testing program. New counties (see attached map) will be added to the emissions testing program according to the following schedule:

• July 1, 2003 - Catawba, Cumberland, Davidson, Iredell, Johnston and Rowan.
• Jan. 1, 2004 - Alamance, Chatham, Franklin, Lee, Lincoln, Moore, Randolph and Stanly.
• July 1, 2004 - Buncombe, Cleveland, Granville, Harnett and Rockingham.
• Jan. 1, 2005 - Edgecombe, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt, Robeson, Wayne and Wilson.
• July 1, 2005 - Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry and Wilkes.
• Jan. 1, 2006 - Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover and Onslow.

An electronic color version of the attached map, additional information about ozone, the Air Awareness Program and other air quality issues can be found at the DAQ's web site, http://daq.state.nc.us/ . The map is located under the "DAQ News" section under year 2000 news releases.

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