(The Center Square) – A new proposal would allow vehicle owners in northeast Ohio to say their vehicles meet emission standards rather than complete an on-site inspection.
The proposed legislation is another attempt to ease federally mandated emission requirements on car owners in seven Ohio counties.
The E-Check program under the Federal Clean Air Act requires people living in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage and Summit counties to get vehicles tested every two years to pass emission requirements.
It’s been in effect for 30 years, and the regulation impacts no other counties in the state.
The E-Check Ease Act would create an alternative emissions certification by allowing drivers to file a form with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency that says their vehicle complies with Ohio emission standards instead of driving to an E-Check facility.
“My constituents have, for decades, faced the burden of a mandate imposed on Ohio by the federal bureaucracy called E-check,” Rep. Steve Demetriou, R-Bainbridge Township, said. “Since Ohio cannot get rid of E-check, we will do the next best thing and make it as easy as possible for those in Northeast Ohio to comply.”
It would also change the age range for vehicles required to be tested to 6 to 25 years old and hybrids 7 to 25 years old. Currently, vehicles 4 to 25 years old must be tested every two years.
“We want all Ohioans to have clean air, but expanding the E-Check program isn’t the answer,” Rep. Bill Roemer, R-Richfield, said. “The improvement in air quality in Northeast Ohio is thanks to advances in fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, and electric vehicles, not because of this burdensome EPA program, but because of advances from the private sector.”
Lawmakers have been pushing for at least three years to end the required testing for the seven counties, failing to pass any legislation or resolutions since 2021.
The House passed a resolution in 2021 calling for the end of the requirement, but that did not lead to a change to the program. At that time, Rep. Diane Grendell, R-Chesterland, said it cost people in the seven counties more than $19 million annually.
In 2023, a bipartisan group of state representatives said in a letter to Ohio EPA Executive Director Anne Vogel the program is subjectively applied and places an undue burden on people in those seven counties.