Ohio Drivers May Submit Form in Place of Emissions Test Under Proposed Bill

Two Ohio representatives have introduced legislation that would allow some drivers to forego taking their vehicle in for emissions inspections, reports WKYC-TV.

This past Wednesday, Reps. Steve Demetriou (R-Bainbridge Twp.) and Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) presented “E-Check Ease Act,” which would allow drivers to send in a form to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency stating that their vehicles comply with state emissions standards.

Currently, drivers are required to have their vehicles tested every other year for vehicles between four and 25 years old. Demetriou and Roemer added that only drivers in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties are subject to emissions testing.

The new law would only require testing for standard vehicles between six and 25 years old, and for hybrid vehicles between seven and 25 years old. 

Drivers who apply for an alternative emission certification may be denied if their vehicle has been in a collision in the past two years that has caused considerable structural damage; if they have received a citation in the past two years for manipulating a vehicle’s exhaust system; or if the information provided in the form is found to be false.

“We want all Ohioans to have clean air, but expanding the E-Check program isn’t the answer,” argued Roemer. “The improvement in air quality in Northeast Ohio is thanks to advances in fuel efficiency, emissions reduction, and electric vehicles, not because of this burdensome EPA program, but because of advances from the private sector.”