Georgia Update
June 1, 2000
An extremely
controversial bill passed the Georgia legislature in the waning hours of the
spring session. This bill amends the Georgia Motor Vehicle Emission Inspection
and Maintenance Act. These amendments were key to the Georgia Environmental
Protection Division’s (EPD) latest proposed State Implementation Plan (SIP)
submitted to EPA. EPD and the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) relied on
emission reductions based on these anticipated changes when developing their
regional transportation plan. If the bill had not passed, EPD would have been
left scrambling to find alternative sources for emission reductions. These new
amendments would:
- move the
administration of the program to the Department of Natural
Resources
- require all counties
to have and emission inspection and maintenance program if EPA designates the
county as part of a nonattainment area
- allow the new
program to be administered outside the 13-county nonattainment area if the Board
determines that the outlying areas adversely influence ambient air levels in the
nonattainment area
- permit the Board to
establish a remote sensing program that would identify vehicles which are
producing excessive emissions at times other than their regularly scheduled
inspections
- allow the Board to
set standards and require inspections of heavy duty vehicles
The ARC was scheduled
to consider a new 25-year transportation plan in spring 2000, and the approval
of the SIP is integral to the Atlanta area receiving matching federal
transportation funds.
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