I find the part about the Federal EPA directive most interesting.
Note that this is not my* father-in-law, but that of a coworker.
Michael Lytton
1970 MGB
michael.lytton@sierra.com
______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: Smog II - scoop
Author: forward deleted
Date: 8/14/96 10:44 AM
Forwarded from my Father-In-Law - he lives in California so those of you that do
might be interested in this especially.
I have been doing some further research, including going to the County
Courthouse Law Library and reading the applicable State codes.
The new Smog Check II law is required by a Federal EPA directive that was
issued in 1993. States could refuse (as Texas did) to adopt the EPA
standards and regulations, but the cost of doing so would be the
withholding of Federal highway funds. However, by popular demand, a law
was enacted in Washington in 1995 which makes it illegal for the Federal
Government to use that sort of blackmail on the States. That's how Texas
got away without penalty. Pennsylvania adopted the law and then withdrew.
The EPA "assessed" Pennsylvania a $140,000 penalty, based on the loss of
income this act caused to the supplier of the new equipment required to
perform the EPA-required tests. Pennsylvania is apparently still fighting
this action. All other states have adopted laws which put the EPA
recommendations into effect, so Oregon is affected too.
The California legislature passed and the Governor signed into law, in June
1994, a new, tighter smog-check bill which was based on the EPA
requirements. It amended the Health and Safety Code of California to make
the smog-check law much more strict. The goal is severe reduction of
reactive organic gasses and nitrous oxided by the year 2010.
In California, the most severe enforcement will be in high-pollution areas
like those around Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, and Sacramento. It
is pretty much like the previous smog law, only stiffer. It also includes
a provision for the destruction of "high-polluting" vehicles and the
reimbursement of the owner to a maximum of $450, but so far that is only
being applied in the aforementioned areas.
The big panic that is currently being stirred up in California is due to
the Southern California vehicle owners who face the loss of their older
vehicles.
I suspect that Oregon's new law is similar to California's, since they are
both based on EPA "recommendations." This is one of those sneaky laws that
is implemented in phases, over a period of years, in the hopes that nobody
will notice that the restrictions are getting tighter and tighter -- an
increasingly popular trick used by more and more by politicians to sneak
things by the public.
The California code sets the following cost limits for repairs, up to the
time that the full law goes into effect:
1971 and earlier model years - $50
1972-74 - $90
1975-79 - $125
1980-89 - $175
1990-> - $300
These limits will be adjusted upward from time to time in accordance with
the consumer price index.
Basically, that's the story that I have dug out so far. I don't think we
need panic in my county just yet, but we had better keep an eye on those
legislators in Sacramento.
I'll be very interested in hearing what you dig out about Oregon. I can't
believe that Oregon's anti-smog laws could be as draconian as California's.
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