A Pennsylvania Senator is sponsoring a bill that would eliminate the vehicle emissions testing requirement in Mercer and six other Counties.

 Senator Wayne Langerholc, Jr. has introduced Senate Bill 35 which will reform what he calls “Pennsylvania’s outdated” Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance program.

Pennsylvania is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement an an emissions testing program to comply with the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.

Currently, Pennsylvania’s program mandates that drivers in 25 counties undergo annual emissions testing.

Drivers in those counties are annually required to pay for and schedule an emissions test, which costs approximately $40 for gasoline-powered cars, vans, and light-duty trucks. Electric vehicles and diesel-powered vehicles are federally exempt, as are motorcycles and some other vehicle types.

Senator Langerholc cites an independent study that claims that removing seven of the counties from the program would have minimal impact on maintaining federal air quality standards.

The senator claims that vehicle emissions testing has become ineffective at reducing air pollution, particularly with the growing number of newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles on the road.

Since newer vehicles consistently pass the emissions test, Langerholc says they should be exempt from the testing program.

The bill has been referred to the House Transportation Committee for consideration.