Posted on 08/14/2005 10:31:59 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Sensors and video cameras on Southern California freeways could begin recording pollutants spewing from tailpipes by early next year as part of a program to reduce smog levels in the nation's smoggiest region.
The program, perhaps the largest of its kind, would measure vehicles entering freeways in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside.
The sensors measure pollutants as vehicles accelerate and the cameras snap an image of the license plates.
There's even an incentive to getting caught.
Owners of smoky clunkers would receive letters informing them that the government would help pay to fix or scrap the vehicles. Between 10,000 to 20,000 of the dirtiest vehicles would be spotted, according to the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
"You can't meet our air quality goals without addressing this problem," said Victor Weisser, chairman of California's Inspection and Maintenance Review Committee, which oversees a separate program that requires vehicles to be smog-checked.
"We have made great strides with cleaner gasoline and new engines, but you can't make bigger reductions until you get some of these cars off the road," he added. "And unless we do something, these cars from the 1980s are going to be on the road a long time."
The state's smog-check program tests about 10 million vehicles every year, keeping some of the dirtiest off the road. Still, officials say the program has a loophole - vehicles built before 1976 and those newer than six years old are exempt from the checks.
Air regulators say using sensors and cameras would encourage more people to send their vehicles to the junk yard - by far cheaper at cleaning the region's air than imposing additional controls on power plants and refineries.
Air regulators, who fear violators would avoid the sensors, wouldn't disclose how many sensors will be used or where they will be placed.
State regulators approved using sensors in October 2003 and called for the program to be in place by the 2010 federal deadline.
They've been around since the mid 90s, at least. Maybe the law is new.
A good start would be at the San Ysidro border crossing... north bound traffic....
How many zillions of dollars will that system cost? Why not just set up a toll free number? Anyone stuck behind one of these clunkers would be happy to make a cell phone call (of course not while driving 'cause there might be a camera for that)!
Regardless of the DRASTIC reductions in vehicle emissions, the liberal government of California keeps inventing problems and WAYS TO WASTE MORE TAX DOLLARS. As if we have the tax dollars to waste -- with many billions of debt, the overhead bill ($10B) per year to take care of our criminal illegal aliens....now we have to spend money on sensors, another useless bureaucracy to fund -- we must keep up our record TAX AND SPEND liberal image!!!!
Where is my barf bucket ??
I hope diesel trucks and busses will be included in this program.
this is a good idea, much better then the tailpipe tests. because (at least here in NY) there is so much fraud with those, and cars that cannot pass are never caught, and you see these poorly maintained cars spewing pollution, and there is no enforcement.
Exactly, I was wondering how they would be able to spot their vehicles, to exempt them from this foolishness.
Haul them to the damn border and "sense" the emissions from trucks crossing the borders illegally, nimrods.
In Washington, if you can't afford to fix up your car if it fails emissions, you can pay a $500 fine and keep driving. Does that sound more like a way to truly cut emissions or a way to make money for the govt?
Probablu not, They have lobbying groups or are part of the goobermint, Were just voters, and don't matter.
God help those who fart in the crosswalk!!!
I then filed a complaint with the local Sec. of States office and they sent a field agent with me to go back to the station where I failed. The agent had the owner give my car another test and it passed. I'm pretty sure the station owner wasn't doing anything wrong on purpose I just think that the testing equipment was not that reliable.
The beauty of the sensors is that they detect invisible emissions. Just because diesel emits ugly black fumes doesn't make it more toxic, in fact it is arguably easier to wash out of the atmosphere as large "soot" particles than the CO or CO2 gas that regular cars put out (same is true for lung clearance, which comes as a shock to "light" cigarette smokers).
They already have a toll free number that anyone can call to report a polluting vehicle. It is: 1-800-CUT-SMOG. The registered owner of a reported vehicle receives a letter from DMV requiring a manditory smog check. Some people have used this number as a means to retaliate against people they don't like.
JSL
Why not catch them immediately? The SCAQMD won't be able to send letters to the owners of any the cars with Mexican license plates, and some really bad cars may have changed owners (or their owners may have moved) multiple times without informing the DMV.
those newer than six years old are exempt from the checks
I thought it was four years, not six (unless things changed), and IIRC the "years" count starting from the model year, not the sale date. People with 2001 model year cars will know if they need a smog check this year.
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