Emission Check Changes To Meet Clean Air Plan

Washington State Department of Ecology

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 1, 1997

97-158

CONTACT: Dale Jensen (360) 407-6325, regional air quality supervisor
Ann Butler (360) 407-6334, public outreach
Larry Altose (425) 649-7192, public information

Emission Check Changes To Meet Clean Air Plan

Olympia, WA - Parts of the Department of Ecology motor vehicle Emission Check program will change this month in Clark County. The enhancements are part of a locally approved 10-year plan involving Ecology, the Southwest Washington Air Pollution Control Authority and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality aimed at keeping the Vancouver Portland area in air quality attainment. Last spring the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) removed the region from a national list of ozone (smog) nonattainment areas.

"Most of these changes are things the motorist won't see," explained Dale Jensen, Ecology's air quality program supervisor for Southwest Washington. "Both Washington and Oregon are upgrading vehicle emission inspection and repair programs as part of the local plan to maintain air quality. Our two states' programs differ in some respects, but both will help us to better identify vehicles with excessive emissions."

Washington's Emission Check fee will remain at $12, but the following changes will take place starting Oct. 15 for gasoline-powered vehicles in Clark County only:

Dynamometer: Two-wheel-drive cars and light trucks are -driven- on steel rollers set in the floor, called a dynamometer. This test won't look different, but the computer program that controls the dynamometer will change. The test will simulate acceleration--when emissions are higher--rather than a cruise at a steady speed.
Emission standards: Test standards will be based on vehicle weight and model year. Previously the emission standards were based only on the model year. Standards for each vehicle will appear on the test report issued after every inspection.
A new pollutant: 1981 and newer vehicles will be tested for oxides of nitrogen (NOx), but for information only. After two years Ecology will decide whether NOx emissions should become an official part of Emission Check in Clark County. NOx contributes to ozone. The readings on NOx emissions will be useful to repair technicians in many cases. Vehicles still will be tested for hydrocarbons (which contribute to ozone) and carbon monoxide. (Carbon dioxide also appears on the test form, but it is tested to screen for exhaust system leaks and to validate emission tests.)

On Nov. 17 one more test will be added: a check for leaky gas caps on 1971 and newer cars and most trucks. Gas caps that don't seal well allow harmful gasoline vapors to vent into the air, even when the vehicle is not running. These fumes also contribute to ozone. Gas cap gaskets may seem intact, but can lose their effectiveness over time. Inspectors will remove the gas cap and place it on a testing device. If a vehicle's gas cap fails the test, the inspection will end, there will be no charge, and the motorist will be directed to replace the leaky cap. When the vehicle returns, the full inspection will take place after the gas cap passes a retest.

"These enhancements more accurately identify pollution control equipment problems, but we don't expect major changes in the rate vehicles fail the inspection," said Jensen. "Ecology made similar changes to the dynamometer test this spring in Spokane and the failure rate increased by one to two percent. And in Vancouver, BC, there's a gas cap test like the one we'll be starting and about 10 percent of the vehicles need to replace their caps."

"Repairs prompted by the enhanced Emission Check program will cut pollution from Vancouver area vehicles by one-fourth, compared to one-fifth now," Jensen explained. "In other words, when vehicles with high emissions are identified and repaired, the reduction in air pollution is like having everyone stop driving for three months."

Motor vehicles emit a third of the region's hydrocarbons and more than half of the oxides of nitrogen, pollutants that cause ozone pollution. Motor vehicles also produce more than half of the Vancouver area's carbon monoxide pollution.

Ozone forms at ground level when hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrogen mix on hot, sunny days. Ozone is a severe irritant that causes choking, coughing and stinging eyes associated with smog. It also can harm plants and animals. (In the upper atmosphere, ozone benefits life by filtering out harmful solar radiation.) Carbon monoxide is a clear odorless gas that reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen.

For general information on the Emission Check program, call 1-800-453-4951 toll free from within Washington 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.