Wisconsin Scraps Emissions Testing for Older Cars

Wasn’t someone asking about where the transportation budget could be cut?

Starting on July 1, cars and trucks built before 1996 will be exempt from having to undergo vehicle emissions inspections in southeastern Wisconsin. The latest figures in 2007 show that the change would have affected 28% of vehicles in the region - or about 175,000 cars.

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The decision to give older cars a pass will also send more pollutants into the air until 2018. But other factors such as the use of reformulated gas will lessen the effects, officials say.

These and other features are part of a revamping of the state’s emissions inspection program for cars and trucks in seven counties, including all of metro Milwaukee.

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The $13.3 million annual program - in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, Kenosha and Sheboygan counties - is financed by the state transportation fund, the state’s general fund and other sources.

Let’s just scrap the whole program, OK?  If the DOT isn’t going to even bother testing the cars that pollute the most (older cars), then it can’t be that important.  The cost of continuing to run this program outweighs the benefit of catching the tiny percentage of newer cars that might fail the emissions test.