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County Officials Question Emissions Testing Program

Posted on: Saturday, 3 June 2006, 03:00 CDT

By Ian Berry, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Jun. 2--Hamilton County's vehicle emissions testing program went under the microscope Thursday as county commissioners and residents questioned officials involved with the program for 2 1 /2 hours.

The scheduled meeting at the Chattanooga Development Resource Center touched on many of the themes that have persisted since the program started in April 2005: How the program came about, its impact on air quality and whether it could be administered more effectively.

"What we see now are some loose ends, and we're trying to tie up those loose ends," Commissioner Greg Beck said.

The panel of state and local officials said the program is working. When faced with nonattainment status by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency because of air pollution, Hamilton County opted for emissions testing as part of an agreement with EPA to stave off possible restrictions on new industry.

"I think that was a great decision, because measuring nonattainment means the air is not always safe to breathe," Quincy Styke, director of air pollution control with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, said. "There are good days and bad days."

But commissioners and some residents raised questions about how the program has been implemented.

Responding to questioning about why even new cars have to be tested, Mr. Styke said some new vehicles fail. Testing newer cars enables the county to distribute the cost of the testing among vehicle owners and lets Hamilton County have a $10 inspection fee, one of the lowest in the country, he said. Commissioner Fred Skillern said that an accusation made by critics is that the program is a tool for revenue enhancement.

"We've already admitted one of the reasons we're testing newer cars is to enhance revenues," Mr. Skillern said.

Fred Harrison, executive director of the Tennessee Independent Automobile Dealers Association, criticized a requirement that vehicles on car lots must be retested every 90 days.

Public comments included questions about the treatment of vehicle owners by Envirotest employees, whether the program unfairly impacts the poor and whether EPA sanctions were a threat.

Commissioners questioned whether the program could be expanded to include "safety lane" inspections that would examine issues other than emissions.

Mr. Styke said the county could implement such a program on its own, but not until 2011, when the contract with Envirotest runs out. Putting that in place would be complicated, he said. "If you want to do that, please don't wait until 2011" to tell us, Mr. Styke said.

Mr. Styke and others said emissions testing is helping to clean the air and has kept Hamilton County in play for industrial recruitment. They said vehicle owners have reported a very high level of satisfaction in surveys.

After the meeting, Mr. Beck said he was hoping the officials would have shown more willingness to modify the program.

"I was very disappointed in the answers I got," Mr. Beck said.

Commission Chairman Larry Henry said it was important to have state and local environmental officials on hand to discuss the program.

Commissioners have discussed and criticized the program on several occasions, and during this year's election season some candidates have used it as a campaign issue.

"It's an economic and environmental issue," Mr. Henry said. "It's really not a political issue. It affects too many people in Hamilton County to just be addressed politically."

E-mail Ian Berry at iberry@timesfreepress.com

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Copyright (c) 2006, Chattanooga Times/Free Press, Tenn.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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Source: Chattanooga Times/Free Press

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