By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
 Legislation to exempt all vehicles manufactured in model-year ’74 and earlier from Arizona’s mandatory biennial emissions inspection program was signed into law in 2011. | |
Legislation to exempt all vehicles manufactured in model-year ’74 and earlier from the state’s mandatory biennial emissions inspection program was signed into law in 2011. Before this exemption can go into effect, certain conditions must be met.
Under Federal law, Arizona regulators are required to submit a plan to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) detailing how the state will address its air-quality issues. After the EPA approves this air-quality plan, all changes to the plan must be submitted to and approved by the EPA. Exempting vehicles manufactured in ’74 and earlier from the state’s motor-vehicle emissions inspection program requires such a change and EPA approval before the exemption can go into effect.
Another bill currently before the Arizona legislature would extend the exemption to vehicles 40 years old and older. If enacted, this rolling exemption would also require EPA approval before it can go into effect. The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has indicated that changes to the state’s air-quality plan to accommodate the exemption will be submitted to the EPA in the near future, possibly by early 2015, and the submission may also include the 40-year rolling exemption if it is enacted by the legislature this session.
For more information, visit the SEMA Action Network (SAN) website. For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.