Mobile pollution-sensing vans will focus next year on catching smoggy cars instead of clearing relatively clean vehicles, under a plan state officials adopted Thursday.
Currently, the remote-sensing devices, which use a laser to measure car exhaust, are geared to “clean screen” low-polluting vehicles, allowing owners to skip a trip to the emission-testing facilities.
But state Air Quality Control Commission officials said they can reduce more air pollution by targeting “dirty” cars with the devices rather than focusing on the “clean” ones.
“We really ought to move quickly – we can’t waste any time,” said Commissioner Doug Lawson, noting the increasing ozone levels in the Denver metro area.
But Vickie Patton, a Boulder-based attorney for Environmental Defense, urged commissioners not to penalize low-income residents, who often drive older, higher-polluting vehicles and may not have the money to pay for repairs.
The plan is part of the push to phase out the Denver area’s 14 emission-testing facilities and increase the use of mobile testing.
Health department officials hope to screen about 50 cars a month and gradually add more.
They also plan to require motorists to repair their cars or face penalties, including possibly denying their vehicle registration.
Last summer, the Denver area saw increased levels of ozone, one of the prime ingredients in urban smog, which can aggravate respiratory problems. If Denver experiences another high-ozone summer, federal environmental regulators might impose sanctions such as restricting highway funding and industrial expansion.
Department officials concede there are many more details to be worked out in the plan. They acknowledged that they will have to find a way to address cars that might incorrectly fail the roadside tests.
A state audit released Tuesday determined the mobile tests have a high “false failure” rate and a significant “false pass” rate.
Both state environmental regulators and officials with Environmental Systems Products Inc., which runs the emission-testing facilities and the remote-sensing devices, disputed the audit’s findings.
In other action, the commission delayed a decision on increasing the number of model-year exemptions given to Denver-area motorists. Currently, the first four model years are exempted from having to get an emission test.
Under the new plan, however, all cars will be subject to the mobile testing targeting high-polluting cars.
Staff writer Kim McGuire can be reached at 303-954-1240 or kmcguire@denverpost.com.
