PITTSBURGH Emissions testing coming to region

The new system does away with the old tailpipe test.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pennsylvania's new emissions testing program, and the increased prices it is expected to bring, are coming to four Pittsburgh-area counties next month.
The new testing becomes law Thursday in Allegheny, Beaver, Washington and Westmoreland counties, although there is a grace period through March for garages to begin using the new equipment.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation has said that the average price for the emissions inspection in those counties will be $28, though garage owner say the figure could rise to $45 or $50.
The new system does away with the old tailpipe test for cars made since 1996. The new, less expensive machines instead measure whether the new cars' onboard emissions, ignition and other systems are working.
An added expense
Garage owners have complained that garages must still maintain the other equipment to test older cars. That means the new machines, even though they're cheaper for garages to buy, are an added expense.
"I own a $15,000 emissions machine. I have to go out and buy another machine that costs $6,300," said Chuck Bloedel of Russ Bloedel's Service Station in Upper St. Clair. The cost of his shop's emission tests will go up 10 percent to 20 percent from the $30 he charges, Bloedel said.
Eddie Olsakovsky charges $32.90 for an emissions test at his Eddie O's Advance Auto Repair in Turtle Creek. He is not sure what the new price will be but said he's certain that it's going up.
"You have to pass on the cost of both machines," he said.
The new tests became mandatory in two central Pennsylvania counties, Dauphin and Cumberland, earlier this month.
Lawsuits
The new testing requirements stem from lawsuits filed by two environmental groups -- Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future and the Clean Air Council -- that accused state officials of dragging their feet in implementing emissions-inspection procedures mandated by the federal government.
Under an out-of-court settlement reached in May, the new tests will also be extended to Berks, Lehigh and Northampton counties Thursday, and to Lancaster, Lebanon and York counties Feb. 1.
Garages in Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties must begin using the new equipment between Thursday and June 30.
XOn the Net: www.drivecleanpa.state.pa.us