Legislature Approves Funding for Auto Emissions Testing

RALEIGH - Legislators today approved a bill that would set the fee for North Carolina's stronger auto emissions testing program, which is aimed at reducing ozone-forming pollution from cars and trucks.

House Bill 969, sponsored by Rep. Joe Hackney, is a compromise between separate versions adopted by the House and Senate earlier this session. The bill, which builds on legislation adopted in previous sessions, would cap the motor vehicle safety and emissions inspections fee at $30, but stations could charge less than that amount.

In 1999 and 2000, the General Assembly passed legislation that expands and enhances the emissions testing program but didn't set a fee. The new testing program will be phased in over the next five years and expanded from the current nine counties to 48.

"This legislation will let us do a better job of testing the air-pollution controls on cars and trucks, which are responsible for about half of the ozone pollution in our state," said Bill Ross, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "Lawmakers can also significantly reduce the other main source of ozone-forming pollution by passing the Clean Smokestacks bill, which would require emissions cuts from coal-fired power plants."

Motor vehicles and power plants account for most nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, the main cause of ozone. Ozone, the state's most widespread air quality problem, is unhealthy to breathe and can damage trees and crops. In 1999, ozone levels exceeded the standard in North Carolina on 68 days, fifth highest among the 50 states. Ozone levels were lower in 2000 and 2001, but North Carolina still ranks among the top 10 states in bad ozone days.

To help deal with the ozone problem, the General Assembly adopted legislation in 1999 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.

Last year, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission adopted rules that require coal-fired electric power plants to cut their NOx emissions by 68 percent during the warmer months. In April, the N.C. Senate adopted legislation that which would require further cutbacks from power plants, but the bill (S.B. 1078) still awaits action in the House. The so-called Clean Smokestacks bill would require power plants to cut their year-round emissions of NOx by about 70 percent and sulfur oxides by about 75-percent. Sulfur oxides cause most of the haze that obscures visibility in the mountains and other scenic areas.

Legislation adopted in 2000 requires services stations to test emissions using motor vehicles' on-board diagnostic (OBD) systems, the computers installed on all new cars and trucks since 1996. The new test doesn't directly measure pollutants in exhaust, but instead uses vehicles' OBD systems to determine whether all of their pollution controls are working. If a vehicle fails the OBD test, the computer helps to identify what needs to be repaired. OBD testing also is less costly and time-consuming than other methods for testing NOx emissions from motor vehicles.

Tail-pipe emissions tests currently are required in nine counties: Cabarrus, Durham, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Mecklenburg, Orange, Union and Wake. 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 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.

In counties where emissions testing is not required, the fee for safety inspections alone would increase from $9.25 now to $9.30.

More information about ozone, the emissions testing program and other air quality issues can be found at the DAQ's web site, http://daq.state.nc.us.

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