| For Immediate Release | For more information contact: |
| March 3, 1999 | Doug Champeau (651-296-4306) |
ST. PAUL -- Legislation to repeal the eight-year-old metro area vehicle emissions test requirement is inching closer to enactment, says Rep. Dennis Ozment (R-Rosemont), chairman of the House Environment & Natural Resources Policy Committee. A repeal bill was recently approved by the House Environment and Transportation committees and similar legislation is being heard in the Senate. Ozment said he hoped a bill would come to the House floor for a vote soon.
"For years, the metro area has met and exceeded federal clean air standards as more and more older cars were removed from the roads "Ozment said. "There simply is no compelling reason why motorists must continue to have their cars tested."
Engineers from the University of Minnesota said that emission testing did little to actually reduce pollution levels and that any credit for reduction of carbon monoxide was due to improved car engines. Under current law, owners of vehicles five years old and older must bring their vehicles to a testing station and pass an emissions test as part of the license tab renewal process.
The original repeal legislation called for ending the program on July 1, 2000. However, many legislators prefer termination of the program this year. Ozment said there was concern in committee regarding compliance with federal Environmental Protection Agency air standards. The EPA could hold up federal transportation funding to Minnesota if the agency believed the state ended testing requirements while carbon monoxide levels remained high. Under a compromise, the tests will cease being mandatory no later than July 1, 2000, or earlier if the EPA verifies compliance.
"It's important that the proposed repeal doesn't conflict with federal regulations," Ozment said. "But I'm confident we'll be found in compliance yet this summer." Ozment said the legislation has the support of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Gov. Jesse Ventura.
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