NE Ohio lawmakers: E-Check belongs in 'greatest source of air pollution,' central Ohio

Calling the state's pollution regulations outdated, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has asked to end E-Check testing for vehicles in northeast Ohio.

Instead, they suggested Ohio's Environmental Protection Agency aim its stricter regulations at "the greatest source of air pollution, which is central Ohio."

"While this program was well-intentioned 30 years ago, the air quality is significantly cleaner in the Cleveland/Akron area compared to greater Columbus," according to a letter sent to Ohio EPA. "We believe the policy should be adjusted to maximize results."

What is E-Check?

Ohio's E-Check requirement started in 1996 as a way to reduce pollutants considered harmful to humans and the environment. These compounds include nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide, lead and other volatile organic compounds that lead to the formation of ozone.

But this federal Clear Air Act rule only applied to vehicles registered in seven counties: Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit.

The reason was that Cleveland/Akron area had "frequent violations of the health-based ozone standard," according to a response letter written to lawmakers by Ohio EPA Director Anne Vogel. "The Clean Air Act mandates vehicle emissions testing programs for “moderate” non-attainment areas."

The bipartisan group of state representatives doesn't disagree with that history, but they say northeast Ohio's vehicle emissions have gone down "tremendously" as cars have gotten cleaner.

"I've never seen any evidence that the E-Check program has been effective," Rep. Sean Brennan, D-Parma, said. "I think the improvements that have occurred have primarily been due to vehicle emissions."

Cleaner air

The U.S. EPA's data supports Brennan's assertions about emissions. Its list of Clean Air Act accomplishments says cars, trucks and SUVs are 99% cleaner for common pollutants than they were in the 1970s. Fuels are much cleaner now too.

"There are about 2 million vehicles in those seven counties," Rep. Bill Roemer, R-Richfield, said. And being a certified public accountant, he decided to do the math.

Roemer estimated a 20-mile roundtrip for E-Check inspections and about 25 miles per gallon gets used on those commutes.

"We end up burning 600,000 gallons of gasoline just to do E-check," he said. "That's a lot of pollution."

He and Brennan want the U.S. EPA to consider whether that pollution is worth catching the small percentage of vehicles that fail every year. But years of lobbying them to reconsider haven't panned out.

That's why they want Ohio EPA to look at data from IQ Air, a Swiss air technology company, which reported in March that Columbus was one of the most polluted cities in the country, surpassing cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.

"So why discriminate against the folks in northeast Ohio," Brennan said.

More: Does Columbus have most polluted air among major U.S. cities? This report says so.

If Ohio is going to have extra restrictions on vehicle emissions, he and Roemer think they belong on the counties with the worst air quality.

Vogel wrote in her response letter that official air quality monitoring has consistently shown Columbus meeting all National Ambient Air Quality Standards. "Ohio EPA contacted IQ Air to obtain the data collected to assert thatColumbus had the worst air quality, but the company refused to provide it."

And it's possible that stricter requirements could be coming for Cleveland. "The Cleveland area continues to violate the 2015 ozone air quality standard to the extent that U.S. EPAis likely to elevate its classification to “serious” non-attainment which will require additional restrictionsalong with the E-Check program beginning as soon as 2024," according to Vogel's letter.

Anna Staver is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio lawmakers say federal E-Check requirements are ineffective