News Releases - 2000

Vehicle Emissions Testing Mailing Contractor Sends Out Wrong Notices

Springfield, Ill. -- A private mailing contractor error is responsible for some wrong vehicle emission testing notices sent to vehicle owners in the Chicago Metro and Metro East testing areas, the Illinois EPA learned late today.

Data Com Graphics II of Palatine subcontracted the mailing contract to MRM Corporation of Caro, Michigan. MRM has been the mailing contractor since July 1997. The contract was awarded to the lowest bidder under Illinois Department of Central Management procurement procedures.

Data files for the vehicle emission test program appear to have been corrupted, the contractor indicated. It is unknown at this time how many notices were impacted by the error.

Correct test notices are expected to be mailed out by October 11, 2000 to all affected motorists.

Vehicle owners who received incorrect notices should disregard information that does not pertain to their own vehicles.

Motorists who are affected are those receiving July "warning" notices (2nd IEPA notice to the motorist) and the October "re-initial notices," those sent to motorists for vehicles previously tested.

However, all of those receiving notices are eligible for testing at this time and may proceed to a testing station and present the notice they received. The information will then be corrected at the station. Motorists may also wait until they receive a corrected notice in the mail.

Quality assurance measures required of the mailing contractor did not discover the problem during the production run in Caro, Michigan this week. Illinois EPA apologizes for any inconvenience or confusion caused by the contractor's error and will seek penalties and assurance that quality control is rigorously adhered to in the future.

This is the first time since the vehicle emissions testing program began in 1985 that data files have been corrupted causing incorrect vehicle information to be sent to the owners.

Any vehicle owner with further questions can contact the 847-758-3400 hotline number from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., starting Tuesday, Oct. 10.

Related Information

• Ilinois EPA Vehicle Emissions Testing Program