The guess is that few Clark County residents will lament the departure of Washington’s auto emissions tests when they are eliminated at the end of this year.
For nearly four decades, many drivers in the state’s most populous counties have had to make sure their vehicles pass muster before renewing their registration. Four years ago, lawmakers decided to phase out testing and eliminate it by 2020. As the state Department of Ecology explains on its website: “Air quality in Washington is much cleaner than when the program began in 1982, and every community in our state currently meets all federal air quality standards. The combination of the testing program, advances in vehicle technology, and improved motor fuels have led to significant reductions in transportation-related air pollution.”
Drivers of vehicles between 5 and 25 years old likely are familiar with the drill. You drive to a testing station, often wait in line (with your motor running, which seems to defeat the purpose) and then pay $15 while hoping that the vehicle is not spewing an inordinate amount of particulates into the atmosphere.
Yeah, we’re guessing you won’t miss that exercise. But at the same time, we recognize an opportunity to reflect on the continuing need to reduce both personal and industrial emissions in the state and to focus on the future of our environment. Vehicle testing has been rendered unnecessary not because it has been ineffective, but because it has achieved its intended goal.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: New passenger vehicles are at least 98 percent cleaner for most tailpipe pollutants compared with cars of the 1960s; in auto fuels, lead has been eliminated and sulfur levels have been reduced 90 percent; and stricter standards have sparked technological innovations from carmakers.
This process was decades in the making. As the EPA website explains: “After World War II, economic growth, population growth, rapid suburbanization, and the closing of some public transit systems led to more reliance on personal vehicles for transportation. The number of cars and trucks in the United States increased dramatically, as did the number of highways. One result of the rapid increase of motor vehicles was air pollution, especially in cities, that had serious impacts on public health and the environment. … Reducing pollution from transportation sources has led to healthier air for Americans. In cities, smog has been visibly reduced.”
The public started widely recognizing environmental issues in the 1960s, leading to the creation of the EPA and the passage of the Clean Air Act in 1970 with bipartisan support. Increasingly strict regulations have further improved the quality of life for Americans, particularly those in cities. Political leaders identified a problem and worked to address it.
Yet this is no time to rest on our laurels. Carbon dioxide is contributing to climate change and entering the food chain through livestock feed while also having a vast impact on oceans and marine life. Meanwhile, emissions from vehicles still create problems, even if they are not as visible as they were decades ago. Improved public transportation and increased use of electric vehicles and hybrids remain essential to reducing the ecological footprint of a growing population.
Although the need for attention to emissions remains important, the fact that Washington has outgrown its vehicle emissions testing program demonstrates that achievement is possible when we set our minds to it. In the meantime, we will not lament the phasing out of vehicle testing.
