Harrisburg – The Senate Transportation Committee will hold a public hearing May 10 in Latrobe on exempting eligible counties from vehicle emissions testing, committee Chair Senator Kim Ward (R-39) and committee member Senator Wayne Langerholc (R-35) announced today.
The hearing will be held Friday, May 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at SpringHill Suites (Latrobe Club Room), 115 Arnold Palmer Drive in Latrobe.
The non-partisan Joint State Government Commission issued a report in response to Senate Resolution 168 of 2017 that recommends the following counties may be removed from annual vehicle emissions testing: Blair, Cambria, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mercer, and Westmoreland. To remove this requirement, the state Department of Environmental Protection must submit a revised State Implementation Plan to the federal Environmental Protection Agency for approval.
“Vehicle emissions testing costs our constituents an average of $40 every year,” said Ward. “We now have empirical evidence that suggests certain counties, such as Westmoreland, could be removed from this onerous regulation. I decided to hold this hearing to modernize our vehicle emissions program and to ensure the Commonwealth delivers regulatory relief and cost-savings to our constituents.”
“I am grateful that the Senate Transportation Committee is coming to our region to discuss this important matter and gain input,” Langerholc said. “For nearly a decade our region has met federal air quality standards, so it makes sense for local motorists to no longer have to pay for costly and unnecessary testing that may be necessary in more urban areas of the state.”
CONTACT: Nolan Ritchie nritchie@pasen.gov (717) 787-6063