Earlier this year, tailpipe pollution limits in the Denver metro area were tightened to help safeguard public health from ozone pollution and that has one SUV driver upset. Apparently, his 2001 Land Rover Discovery continues to fail emission tests.
If true, this is a bit of a surprise. For one thing, newer cars typically meet tailpipe pollution limits easily. For another, state health officials have made it clear the only vehicles that will fail are those that are truly broken and need fixed.
Could it be that newer SUVs, or in particular Land Rovers, simply aren't designed to meet tougher pollution limits?
Regardless, we support the new tailpipe pollution limits. With ozone already reaching unhealthy levels in the Denver metro area, we need to do all we can to keep the air clean and safe.
Showing posts with label tailpipe pollution. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tailpipe pollution. Show all posts
May 10, 2008
Tougher Tailpipe Standards
Stronger limits on air pollution from vehicle tailpipes are set to take effect in the Denver metro area. The tougher standards were adopted earlier this year to help reduce harmful ozone pollution in the region for this coming summer, and come on the heels of Governor Ritter's call to develop measures to reduce ozone in 2008 and keep people safe.
And speaking of tailpipe pollution, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action and a coalition of other public health groups just successfully sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to revise carbon monoxide air quality standards. Cars and trucks are the biggest source of carbon monoxide pollution. A federal judge ordered the EPA to get moving to review and revise nationwide carbon monoxide standards to safeguard public health.
And speaking of tailpipe pollution, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action and a coalition of other public health groups just successfully sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to revise carbon monoxide air quality standards. Cars and trucks are the biggest source of carbon monoxide pollution. A federal judge ordered the EPA to get moving to review and revise nationwide carbon monoxide standards to safeguard public health.
February 4, 2008
"Collector" Cars a Real Problem
The picture above captures it all, but the Rocky Mountain News today elaborates on the details of an emerging problem in the Denver metro area: drivers using the "collector car" exemption to avoid complying with clean air standards for tailpipes.
Under Colorado law, any car 25 years or older can be registered as a "collector car" and avoid regular tailpipe testing. Because state law considers any car 25 years or older to be a "collector car," it means that trucks like the one above qualify for the exemption from tailpipe testing.
Case in point is the truck above, which was spotted driving near Cherry Creek in Denver with collector plates. It may be more than 25 years old, but we're hard pressed to call it a "collector."
In the meantime, while "collector cars" like the one above avoid tailpipe testing, the Denver metro area is struggling to clean up harmful ground-level ozone pollution, the key ingredient of smog.
So what needs to be done? While there may be a need for true "collector" cars to be exempt from emissions testing, the exemption needs to be tempered significantly. The limit should be pushed back to at least 1975 or earlier, and motorists must show that the car is only used for "collector" purposes (e.g., shows, tours, etc.), not regular driving.
Under Colorado law, any car 25 years or older can be registered as a "collector car" and avoid regular tailpipe testing. Because state law considers any car 25 years or older to be a "collector car," it means that trucks like the one above qualify for the exemption from tailpipe testing.
Case in point is the truck above, which was spotted driving near Cherry Creek in Denver with collector plates. It may be more than 25 years old, but we're hard pressed to call it a "collector."
In the meantime, while "collector cars" like the one above avoid tailpipe testing, the Denver metro area is struggling to clean up harmful ground-level ozone pollution, the key ingredient of smog.
So what needs to be done? While there may be a need for true "collector" cars to be exempt from emissions testing, the exemption needs to be tempered significantly. The limit should be pushed back to at least 1975 or earlier, and motorists must show that the car is only used for "collector" purposes (e.g., shows, tours, etc.), not regular driving.
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