Drivers in the Cape Fear region may soon save a few dollars per year on their annual vehicle inspection. The N.C. Division of Air Quality (DAQ) recommends getting rid of the emissions inspection in at least 27 counties, including New Hanover and Brunswick.
The inspections have been required since 2000. The change was prompted by a General Assembly mandate combined with stricter limits on auto exhaust and an overall reduction in ozone emissions statewide, said Tom Mather, spokesman for the air quality division.
Drivers pay $16.40 for the emissions portion of their annual inspection. The annual safety inspection will not be affected by the agency’s recommendation, although Senate Bill 200 would do away with that requirement as well.
Mather said the N.C. General Assembly mandated a review of the rules because the Environmental Protection Agency increased standards for auto emissions systems and for fuel to reduce ozone emissions. In addition, he said, the number of autos failing the inspection is low.
As of April 1, the state no longer requires emissions inspections for vehicles up to three years old. Abolishing the exhaust inspections altogether in some counties takes that change a step further.
In 48 counties automobile owners are required to have vehicles inspected annually for compliance with emissions rules. When the legislature enacted the law, one-third of North Carolina’s counties exceeded the limit for ozone, Mather said. Today, none do.
For now, DAQ recommends keeping the inspection requirement in the most heavily populated counties, but if the rule change becomes final residents in the Wilmington area will no longer have to pay the added fee.
The change would hit service provider’s bottom lines, but some local operators say they don’t expect the impact to be severe.
“We don’t really make a lot of money doing inspections,” said Joe Pedzwater, owner of Aspen Tire and Auto at Kerr Avenue and Wilshire Boulevard. “If it goes away, it goes away.”
Jason Scott, who manages the Pro Lube station on Market Street at Ogden, said shops like his will feel the effect.
“We do a lot of inspections here, and most of them are emissions inspections,” he said. “It’s not going to shut us down, but it is going to hurt.”
John Allen of Hughes Brothers Tire on Market Street said the effect will be noticeable for many service stations, particularly those that limit services to oil changes and inspections.
Meanwhile, the N.C. Sierra Club wants the state to consider the potential consequences. While it is true air quality has improved, part of that trend is due to emissions inspections, said state director Molly Diggins. North Carolina is one of the fastest-growing states in the nation, and that means more automobiles and more emissions, she said.
In addition, she said, the state could lose transportation dollars if the change causes it to fall out of compliance with federal air quality standards.
Legislative approval is necessary before the recommendations could take effect. The air quality division also recommends additional studies to determine by 2016 if it would be feasible to do away with emissions inspections in the remaining counties.
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