SB12-034, Repeal of Rapid Screen Program

SB12-034

REPEAL OF THE RAPID SCREEN PROGRAM TO IDENTIFY HIGH-EMITTING MOTOR VEHICLES

Sponsors:  Senator King, Representative Miklosi

Staff Name: Laura Brown

What the Bill Does:
A “high emitting” vehicle is one which emits air pollutants at substantially higher levels than those deemed acceptable under current air quality standards.  SB12-034 amends current law¹ to repeal the Rapid Screen pilot program for identifying high-emitting motor vehicles, which began in 2007 and ended in 2010. The bill does not alter the current Rapid Screen program, which uses similar technology but is not designed to identify high-emitter vehicles.

Colorado Context:
The bill amends §42-3-304(19)(a)(I) to remove the pilot program language established by HB06-1302 from current law. The bill removes §42-3-3-4(19)(a)(IV), which established a pay-upon-registration program to help fund the Rapid Screen pilot program and sets forth how the contractor for the Rapid Screen pilot program should be paid. Also repealed in part are §43-4-307, §42-4-307.7, §42-4-311, and §42-4-313, which pertain to the high-emitter Rapid Screen program.

National Context:

• Virginia has an on-road emissions testing program for non-attainment areas in northern Virginia². The program alerts owners whose vehicles do not meet emissions standards, as well as those which do meet emissions standards and thus are waived from formal emissions tests.
• California conducted a pilot program to determine whether on-road remote sensing devices for measuring emissions can be an effective tool for identifying high-emitting vehicles, to exempt clean vehicles, or to measure compliance with the state Smog Check program³. The pilot program report indicated that no, it is not a cost effective tool to identify clean or high-emitting vehicles, and can only be used to a limited extent to measure compliance.

Bill Provisions:

• The bill repeals all language in the current law associated with the Rapid Screen pilot program for identifying high-emitting vehicles.

Fiscal Impact: Since the pilot program and all associated reporting requirements ended in 2010, this bill is assessed as having no fiscal impact.

¹ Colo. Rev. Stat. §42-3-304

² On Road Emissions Testing Program Status, 2008. Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. http://jcots.state.va.us/2009%20Content/Materials/OnRoad07.pdf;  http://www.deq.state.va.us/mobile/orefaq.html.

³ Evaluation of Using Remote Sensing for Improving California’s Smog Check Program, 2008. Prepared by Eastern Research Group, Inc. for the California Air Resources Board.  http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/smogcheck/march08/rsd_study_final_report.pdf