Colorado Bill to Extend Emissions Inspection Waiver Amended and Approved by Committee; Moves to Appropriations Committee for April 26 Hearing

Legislation (S.B. 257) to extend the new car emissions inspection exemption from 4 to 7 model years was amended and approved by the Colorado Senate Transportation Committee. The amendment moves back the implementation date two years to January 1, 2016, but keeps the extension in place. Under the bill, the state is also directed to adopt rules that allow for the use of on-board diagnostic testing equipment. An attempt to extend the exemption to vehicles 10 years old and newer was not approved in committee earlier this year. The bill has now been moved to the Appropriations Committee for consideration on Friday, April 26, 2013.

We Urge You to Contact All Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee (List Attached Below) Immediately to Request Their Support for S.B. 257

S.B. 257 acknowledges the relatively minimal environmental impact of the vehicles targeted for this exemption.
S.B. 257 acknowledges that it is senseless to test newer vehicles, the results of which demonstrate no significant air quality benefits. The idea behind exempting any class of vehicles is to reduce costs while not losing appreciable emission reductions. This strategy builds support for emission inspection programs, but also directs finite resources to where they will be most valuable in cleaning the air.
Colorado already exempts pre-1976 collector cars, kits and street rods from emissions testing. The logic for this trend is clear; such vehicles do not contribute in significant ways to air quality problems. This logic applies equally to newer cars.

DON’T DELAY! Please contact members of the Colorado Senate Appropriations Committee immediately to request their support for S.B. 257. Please e-mail a copy of your letter to Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org. Also, please forward this Alert to your fellow car enthusiasts. Urge them to join the SAN and help defend the hobby! Thank you for your assistance.