Air Pollution

Delays in Motor Vehicle Inspection Programs Jeopardize Attainment of the Ozone Standard Gao ID: RCED-98-175 June 15, 1998

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 requires states with the most serious ozone and carbon monoxide problems--23 states were identified--to implement enhanced inspection and maintenance programs to reduce motor vehicle emissions. These states were required to have their programs up and running by November 1992. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), however, postponed the implementation deadline until January 1995. GAO found that two of the 23 states had begun testing vehicles by the January 1995 deadline and 12 had begun testing vehicles as of April 1998. Opposition to EPA's enhanced inspection and maintenance regulations, including the reluctance of some state legislatures to provide the funding and authority needed to carry out these programs, caused most of the 23 states to delay implementation. In addition, the states had difficulty in obtaining new testing equipment and software support from vendors. The delays in implementing the enhanced inspection and maintenance programs have jeopardized the states' ability to meet the deadlines for attaining the national ozone standard.

GAO noted that: (1) two of the 23 states had begun testing vehicles by the January 1995 deadline that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) set for implementing enhanced I&M programs, and 12 had begun testing vehicles as of April 1998; (2) a number of factors have contributed to delays in implementing programs; (3) opposition to EPA's enhanced I&M regulation--including the reluctance of some state legislatures to provide the legislative authority and funding needed to implement these programs--caused most of the 23 states to delay implementation; (4) in addition, the states had difficulty in obtaining new testing equipment and software support from vendors; (5) the delays in implementing enhanced I&M programs have jeopardized the states' ability to meet the deadlines for attaining the national ozone standard; (6) EPA has allowed the states to claim credit for future reductions in emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from their enhanced I&M programs, provided they demonstrate that they will achieve the required reductions as soon as practical after November 1996; (7) if states cannot demonstrate that reductions in VOC can be obtained from the mandatory enhanced inspection and maintenance programs, they may have to look to other mobile sources as well as stationary sources to meet their goals for reducing these emissions; and (8) however, achieving further reductions from other sources will be costly and take longer than achieving the reductions from enhanced inspection I&M programs.

Recommendations

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