The Environmental Protection Agency proposed approving North Carolina's request to eliminate its emissions testing requirements. Supporters highlight electric vehicles and cost savings for drivers, but critics fear losing decades of progress.
The state’s vehicle Inspection and Maintenance program started in Mecklenburg County in 1982 to address air quality violations. It eventually grew to 48 counties. Over the years, though, the state rolled back the program in numerous counties, and in 2024, it submitted a plan to remove the remaining 19, including Forsyth and Guilford.
North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Public Information Officer Shawn Taylor says emissions testing was an effective tool for its time, but it’s seeing diminishing returns with the rise in electric and zero-emission vehicles.
"We also see cleaner cars and trucks on the roads today than we were seeing in years past," says Taylor. "There are more stringent fuel and engine standards, better onboard diagnostic technology, so you don't have to wait for an inspection to determine if something is wrong with your emission controls."
Taylor says if the program is completely eliminated, the amount of vehicle emission pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds, would still fall within federal air quality standards. He points to a recent DEQ analysis that shows an increase of about 1%.
The Southern Environmental Law Center is pushing back. Senior Attorney Garrett Gee says the current emission standards are not as protective of human health as he and his colleagues believe is necessary. And the numbers, he says, can be deceiving.
"What these things don't tell us is the actual impacts for people on the ground, particularly people in Black and brown communities who live right next to major highways," he says. "And a lot of times, you have along these major highways hot spots, and so those people are going to be bearing the brunt of this change."
A 30-day public comment period ends next month. If there’s no objection, the EPA will give final approval. If there are comments opposing the action, the timeline will shift as the agency responds to concerns.