EPA Inspector General releases vehicle I/M program report

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Inspector General Bill A. Roderick has released an evaluation report that says the EPA's vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) program "needs improvement" after Roderick's office conducted a review of the program to determine if such programs are effective. I/M programs are used to identify poorly performing vehicles to ensure that vehicles are repaired properly, and to help reduce harmful emissions.

The Inspector General focused the review in Region 3, the Mid-Atlantic region that covers Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Findings revealed that the EPA had not ensured that these states had fully met their I/M requirements. Out of five I/M programs in Region 3, four reported that 12 percent to 22 percent of vehicles failed their I/M inspections. The fifth program has used less rigorous guidelines for testing than required.

Covering all 10 EPA regions and 34 I/M programs, the Inspector General's review shows the EPA "has not been obtaining sufficient information to ensure that states are meeting their I/M program commitments."

The office of the Inspector General is recommending that the EPA "obtain and evaluate all required I/M reports to ensure that the programs are operating effectively." The review also recommends that the EPA provide more assistance and guidelines for states and state I/M programs.

"The Automotive Service Association (ASA) has been frustrated for some time with the EPA's lack of emphasis on expanding geographically or improving existing I/M programs, to the point ASA flew its top leaders to Washington to express this to EPA officials," says Bob Redding, ASA's Washington, D.C., representative. "In the 1990s, some aftermarket groups opposed these programs and hurt the emissions testing effort, but that has not been the case in recent years. These programs continue to be threatened in some states and suffer generally from a lack of promotion from the EPA. ASA supports a mandatory federal emissions vehicle inspection program. Clearly the problem will not be resolved by the EPA without congressional intervention."
A link to the entire report can be viewed on ASA's legislative Web site, www.TakingTheHill.com.