EMISSIONS TESTING: SOUTHEAST MI S.B. 747: FLOOR ANALYSIS
Senate Bill 747 (as reported by the Committee of the Whole) Sponsor: Senator Mat J. Dunaskiss
Committee: Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs
The bill would amend the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to eliminate a requirement that the Michigan Department of Transportation (DOT) implement a vehicle emissions test and repair program in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties; provide that the owner of a motor vehicle in any of those counties would not be required to have emissions testing and repairing unless an emissions test program were implemented; and eliminate two conditions under which the DOT may implement a decentralized test and repair program.
Currently, the Act requires the DOT by January 1, 1996, to implement and administer in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties a decentralized motor vehicle emissions inspection test and repair program in compliance with provisions of the Federal Clean Air Act that were in effect before November 15, 1990. The bill provides instead, that on or after the effective date of the bill the owner of a motor vehicle who resided in Wayne, Oakland, or Macomb County would not be required to have the vehicle tested or repaired under the Act unless an emissions inspection test program were implemented by the DOT.
The bill would continue to allow the DOT to implement and administer in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb Counties a decentralized test and repair program designed to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) performance standards as a contingency measure included in the maintenance plan approved by the EPA as part of the redesignation as an ozone attainment area, if an actual violation of the ozone national ambient air quality standard during the maintenance period is observed. Under the bill, however, the DOT could exercise this contingency only if the Department notified the Legislature that the event had occurred and that the contingency would be implemented after 45 days, and the Legislature failed to amend these requirements within the 45- day period.
MCL 324.6506 et al. Legislative Analyst: S. Margules
The annual cost of the auto emissions testing program administered by the Department of State (Wayne, Oakland, Macomb) was $1.8 million General Fund/General Purpose. Public Act 451 of 1994 provided that the Department of Transportation would assume administration of this program not later than January 1, 1996. The Act also provided that $3 fee of the testing fee would be remitted to the Department of Treasury to support the program. That fee would have generated approximately $6.9 million annually.
Date Completed: 2-5-96 Fiscal Analyst: B. Bowerman
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.