Auto shop owners in Pennsylvania have struggled to comply with an outdated state law on emissions testing, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Since 1997, the state of Pennsylvania has required any facility performing emissions testing to utilize a two-speed idle test on any vehicle weighing between 8,501 and 9,000 pounds. The two-speed idle test involves using a handheld sensor to check for pollutants in the tailpipe.
However, the onboard computer technology that was infrequently seen then is now commonly used. Pennsylvania is one of few states to even require the two-speed idle test and is the only state that requires it for vehicles built in or after 1996.
Many manufacturers of the equipment needed have discontinued necessary replacement parts, or the machine itself, rendering many places of business unable to comply with this law.
Since Dilworth Coffman took over Coffman’s Service in Warminster, Bucks County from his father more than a decade ago, the equipment they had been using for emissions testing has been unreliable.
Many other dealerships and shops in the area that have been struggling to comply with the law refer their customers to Coffman. Without access to new equipment, though, it’s a matter of time before Coffman is unable to comply.
To address this, a group of representatives for auto shops gathered in Norristown last week to voice their concerns to Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection.
It isn’t clear if officials will make changes to the law, and in the meantime, Coffman is worried about how many unsafe vehicles are being sent back out to pollute roadways.
“Nobody knows what to do,” said Coffman. “Honest to God, everybody’s cheating. And I don’t want to lose my license. That’s what I’m up against.”
