State House scales back proposed emissions inspection overhaul - TribLIVE

The state House scaled back a proposal that would have exempted many Pennsylvania drivers from vehicle emissions inspections — now calling for a study instead of an immediate overhaul.

“They essentially gutted and replaced it,” said state Sen. Kim Ward, R-Hempfield, chair of the Senate Transportation Committee and the driving force behind a suite of emissions bills that would have made dramatic changes to existing regulations.

The Senate passed those bills in June. If the House had followed suit, seven counties — including Westmoreland — would have been exempt from required emissions tests. Vehicles less than 8 years old would have been exempted statewide, and inspections would have been required biannually instead of annually.

The House passed its version last week, a single bill that removed all of those provisions.

If enacted, the new bill would require PennDOT and the state Department of Environmental Protection to spend up to six months determining the impact of exempting vehicles less than eight years old from inspection requirements.

Rep. Tim Hennessy, R-Chester County, chair of the House Transportation Committee, said a study is more prudent than immediate major changes to the law. Once the study is done, lawmakers will be in a better position to consider reforms, he said.

“We just wanted to be a little careful about it, instead of rushing something through,” he said.

Officials from DEP and PennDOT warned last year that changing inspection laws could violate federal regulations.

Any changes would need to be approved by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Emissions requirements in Pennsylvania are especially strict because the state is part of a designated “Ozone Transport Region” — a group of northeastern states under more intense federal scrutiny because of their heavy vehicle traffic and pollution.

“We don’t want to find ourselves passing something that would be at odds with the EPA,” Hennessy said.

PennDOT and the DEP issued a joint statement saying they support the more cautious approach of the revised bill.

“The Administration is supportive of (the bill) in its current form,” the statement said. “If enacted, it would require PennDOT and DEP to do modeling to see what effects exempting vehicles 8 years and newer might entail.”

Ward said she’s not happy with the changes to the bill, but she sees its passage as a minor victory. Now, both houses will have to work together to craft a compromise bill that unites the two disparate versions, and she’s hoping to get some of the larger changes back in.

“Whatever they had to do to get it out, I’m good with, but we will be working to actually make a change to the emissions program,” she said.

Whatever bill comes out of these negotiations could immediately be voted on by both the House and the Senate, rather than going through lengthy committee processes, she said.

“For process purposes, we needed to get it out of the House so the Senate can get it back,” she said. “Now, we’ll work with the House. We’ll see what we can compromise on.”

Mechanics in Westmoreland County said eliminating emissions inspections would leave them in a lurch.

“If they’re going to exempt Westmoreland County, we’re going to lose a lot of money on it,” said Dwayne Emerick of Dwayne’s Auto and Truck Service in Greensburg. “Because we just purchased a new emissions machine.”

State law required all auto shops to buy new, more advanced inspection equipment last year.

Emerick said he understands customers’ frustration with the state’s confusing regulations, which require inspections in some counties but not others.

Emissions tests are required in 25 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, based on their population and proximity to major metro areas such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Linda Ferry, co-owner of Ferry Automotive Service in Ligonier, thinks the debate in Harrisburg won’t result in substantive change anytime soon.

“I really don’t think there will be anything that happens with this anytime in the near future,” she said.

Still, she’s playing it safe. Her shop is leasing its inspection equipment rather than buying it. There were several reasons for this decision, but it ensures she won’t be stuck with an expensive purchase if the county is exempted, she said.

Ward said it will likely take several months for the House and Senate to hash out a compromise bill that’s ready for a vote.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, [email protected] or via Twitter .

Exemptions
The original emissions inspection bill passed last year in the state Senate would have exempted seven counties from from mandatory inspections. There were about 8.2 million registered passenger vehicles in the state as of December 2018, according to PennDOT statistics from 2018. Here's how many are in each of the counties named in the bill:

Blair: 75,422
Cambria: 83,290
Lackawanna: 121,147
Luzerne: 191, 729
Lycoming: 70,011
Mercer: 61,626
Westmoreland: 222,064