Re: Colorado Emissions Testing

["Tom Harais" <tjhemh@domain.elided>]

Bill:

> the rest of the
> nation seems to follow CA in this regard.

My condolences. With "visual", dyno and a major contractor administering
the program, you''ve gone the way of California's SMOG Check II program.
Realize though, CA did this for probably the same reason CO did: The Feds,
as in EPA, was holding a gun to their heads. Still is. They are telling the
CA legislature, "You still have major cities that do not comply with
Federal air quality standards. Add to or tighten your programs or we will
withhold Federal highway and vehicle related funds from you and all your
localities!".

Not to waste bandwidth - But on a "good"note, read the "legislation
notices" that Dan Nees has sent recently. Seems a State Senator here in CA
wants to at least allow some reason into the program. There are three bills
pending: 1) To allow an exemption for vehicles driven less than 5,000 miles
per year (hobbiest cars, motorhomes, show cars all come to mind). 2) A bill
that would force the CARB/CHP to check all notifications of non-compliance
from the roadside emissions testing (IR across the freeways) before sending
them out to be sure the car in question wasn't exempt from testing in the
first place - as in pre-74 cars, certain deisels, etc. And 3), a bill to at
least allow for the "modernization" of older engines rather than paying to
scrap them if the modernization improved thier emissions as in fuel
injection, newer carbs, etc.

Right now, I can't "tamper" with anything that the manufacturer put on the
vehicle as in replace an old carb with fuel injection, unless the CARB has
given the manufacturer of the newer part an O.K. because they beleive it
won't cause any more pollution. And, the CARB won't allow anything that is
variable, like fuel injection, because they are sure that folks will get it
all screwed up and pollute more. On top of that, the approvals they give
are usually limited to a certain year, make and model application. The poor
manufacturer's have to certify thier aftermarket parts for each make, model
and app or show that it is a direct replacement for what came OEM on these
vehicles. And, even if the part you put on is CARB approved, many testing
stations will not test the vehicle for fear of it not being "right" and you
being one of the "enforcers" so they send you to a state run, referee
station.

Bill #3 above addresses all of these concerns.

If you want to see bueracracy in action, note this: The CA state
legislature called for the CARB to come and show where there have been air
quality improvements due to all the money being spent by the state as well
as by vehicle owners on the SMOG check program. The legislature wanted this
cost effectiveness analysis as a reason to keep funding the CARB and their
administration of the SMOG check program. 

But, get this, the CARB folks REFUSED to come to the legislature and
justify the program telling the legislature that the CARB was beholden to
no one in so many words. 

Luckily this pissed a few state senators and assembly folks off enough that
they are starting to question the program and come up with some of the
ideas like the three bills above.

Tom H.