Payette County likely to escape emission edict
Other Gem State counties, though, will have to do extensive testing
By JESSICA KELLER
ARGUS OBSERVER
Thursday, October 30, 2008 12:57 PM PDT
FRUITLAND — While the verdict is not out, Payette County is unlikely to be included among the counties required to implement a vehicle emission inspection program, at least for the time being, after the possibility was raised this summer.
The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality is conducting tests to determine which counties have significant vehicle pollution and need to implement vehicle emissions testing to reduce pollution in the Treasure Valley airshed.
The tests began as a result of state legislation that went into effect July 1 calling for an analysis of pollutants in the state’s metropolitan airsheds where pollutants have reached 85 percent of the national standard.
DEQ is almost finished conducting its tests, airshed manager Leonard Herr said, but based on the computer model that factors in the number of vehicles in each county and their impacts on Treasure Valley air quality, it doesn’t appear the smaller counties surrounding the Boise metropolitan area will be required to participate.
“Since there are not very many cars, then there is no reason to test,” Herr said. “The vast majority of the fleet lies in Ada and Canyon counties.”
Ada County already has a vehicle emission testing program in place, and Canyon County officials are in the early planning stages of implementing a similar one because of the likelihood Canyon County will be required to.
The state legislation passed this summer included a vehicle emissions testing model counties can follow, but it allows counties to institute their own alternative vehicle emissions controls as well.
There remains one major challenge to the alternatives, though.
“The problem with the alternatives is there’s no funding mechanism,” Herr said.
The vehicle emissions testing program will be re-evaluated every five years to determine whether it is cost effective, whether it has cut down on the airshed pollution and whether more areas should be included, Herr said.
That means, if the number of cars in Payette County increases dramatically in the next five years, and the vehicle pollution from those cars is determined to be a major contributor to airshed pollution, Payette County could be required to implement a program in the future.
“We’re confident we can make this program work,” Herr said, adding cutting vehicle emissions is important to Treasure Valley residents for health reasons, but also to the state because if it doesn’t meet Clean Air Act standards, further federal regulations be imposed, which could have greater impact on Treasure Valley residents and businesses.
“So if (airshed quality) gets any worse, we’re going to have to go further into the regulatory realm,” Herr said.
For the time being, at least, Payette County residents need not be too concerned they’ll be required to get their vehicles tested and pay any associated fees.
Fruitland City Administrator Rick Watkins said, for now, the matter is kind of a nonissue, and the amount of pollution from Payette County vehicles in the airshed wouldn’t even justify the cost of setting up a program in the area. In July, the Fruitland City Council approved sending a transportation engineer to a DEQ meeting about the possible vehicle emissions testing because, at that time, Payette County was a possible stakeholder. After, Watkins said, city officials were satisfied Payette County wasn’t going to be affected in the near future. He is not convinced the matter has died entirely, however.
“Well, I think it’s still got a heart beat, but I think it’s probably in a coma for awhile,” he said.
