Vehicle Emission Testing Program Annual Report
Executive Summary
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Motor vehicles are a significant contributor to air pollution, specifically, ground level ozone. Periodic mandatory emissions inspection encourages vehicle owners to properly maintain their vehicles, and in doing so, reduce the levels of hydrocarbons (HC), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions contributing to the formation of ground level ozone. The federal Clean Air Act (CAA) requires states to implement and operate vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance (I/M) programs in ozone non-attainment areas. Failure to operate a federally approved I/M program can result in stringent sanctions, including loss of federal highway funding and new source offset sanctions. The Illinois Vehicle Emissions Test Program, administered by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Agency) and the Illinois Secretary of State (SOS), started in 1986 with "basic" idle exhaust emission testing of vehicles registered in portions of the Northeastern Illinois and Metro East St. Louis ozone nonattainment areas. In 1999, the program was modified to meet the requirements of the 1990 amendments to the CAA, including the use of the IM240 loaded-mode exhaust emissions test and the gas cap pressure test. In 2004, Illinois replaced the IM240 emissions test with the on-board diagnostic (OBD) test on 1996 and newer vehicles equipped with OBDII technology. On February 1, 2007, Illinois exempted all pre-1996 model year vehicles from further testing and dropped the IM240 test procedure. Also, at this time, all vehicles receiving an OBD test were no longer subject to the gas cap test. Any 1996 or newer vehicle not equipped with OBD technology (most heavy-duty vehicles) were required to pass an idle exhaust and gas cap test.
Beginning May 1, 2008, the contract to operate a new OBD/Idle inspection station network transferred from Envirotest Illinois, Inc. (EII) to Applus+ Technologies, Inc (Applus+). The new test station network is a hybrid-centralized program which includes a mixture of centralized full-service and OBD-only test stations and decentralized OBD-only test and repair facilities.
Vehicles registered in the emission test areas are required to be inspected once every two years beginning the fourth model year after they were manufactured. Starting October 1, 2007, the Agency moved from computer matching to registration denial enforcement (SOS denies registration renewal/application if the vehicle has not complied with the emissions test requirement). Vehicles are assigned for testing based on the license plate registration expiration month. Emissions test notices are mailed out to motorists approximately three months prior to registration expiration.
In 2011, approximately 2.04 million vehicle emission tests were conducted in Illinois. During the reporting period, approximately 7.1% of the vehicles tested failed the initial inspection and required repairs.
Owners of vehicles failing the inspection received a detailed inspection report containing diagnostic information and a booklet containing names and addresses of repair facilities that had demonstrated high success in performing emissions repairs. Vehicles passing the emissions inspection were issued an emissions compliance certificate indicating the next scheduled assigned test.
The emissions testing program is a major component of Illinois’ ozone air quality control programs for the Northeastern Illinois and Metro-East St. Louis ozone nonattainment areas. In 2011, the program reduced on-highway motor vehicle emissions of ozone forming VOC emissions by 9 tons per day in Northeastern Illinois (9.0 percent reduction) and 1.0 tons per day in Metro-East St. Louis (8.0 percent reduction).
