Your Voice: Why do only certain counties require vehicle emissions testing?

Question: I would like to know why certain counties require emission testing on cars - Tina M. Winkle

Tina, thanks for the great question. The short answer is “because that’s where air pollution is worst in the state.” But here’s some more background on how we got to this point:

Modern emissions testing in Pennsylvania dates back to the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments, a landmark step in the U.S. government’s attempts to reduce air pollution, which began in 1955.

The first federal legislation was titled the Air Pollution Control Act, and the initial goal was to provide federal funding for research on air pollution, with regulation and control of the issue left to the states.

The Clean Air Act was passed in 1963, followed by new legislation in 1967, 1970 and 1977. Each update expanded the federal government’s control of pollution reduction efforts.

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The 1970 amendments introduced regulations to limit emissions from vehicles, called the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants, and enforcement of these standards and others was strengthened.

In 1990, the NESHAP program was expanded again, and required states to take action in areas where ozone problems were deemed as serious or worse. In Pennsylvania at the time, a five-county region around Philadelphia was the only area where pollution levels were high enough to require this action.

Science progressed, and emissions standards and testing became more sophisticated. Regulations grew, specifying limits for many types of particulates and chemicals in the air. States are required to maintain pollution reduction efforts in areas where the air quality does not meet federal standards.

By 1997, four counties in the Pittsburgh region had been added to the list of areas requiring vehicle emissions testing. As of 2004, 25 counties require testing, primarily in the southeast and western portions of the state.

Cox Media Group