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Environmental and Public Protection Cabinet
Removal of vehicle testing upheld by court
FRANKFORT, Ky. (Oct. 25, 2006) - A federal appeals court has upheld a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approving Kentucky’s plan to end vehicle emissions testing in three northern Kentucky counties.
The Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided Oct. 20 to affirm EPA’s action on the state’s plan to stop emissions testing in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. The appeal was brought by the Kentucky Resources Council Inc.
The federally mandated vehicle testing program, known as VET, began in 1999. Through October 2005, approximately 600,000 tests on 200,000 vehicles were administered in the three counties. The program was operated by a contractor, Envirotest Inc.
Vehicle testing was part of Kentucky’s formal plan for reducing emissions of air pollutants that contribute to ozone formation. EPA required Kentucky to adopt other measures to reduce emissions to compensate for ending the program.
Kentucky adopted regulations to require auto body repair shops to switch to high-efficiency paint sprayers and to require the use of solvents with low vapor pressure for cleaning grease from industrial metal parts.
Both of these requirements are more cost-effective means of reducing emissions of volatile organic compounds, which contribute to the formation of ozone.
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