HB 1782 receives broad support in House
(NASHVILLE) – Members of the Sumner County Legislative Delegation, including State Representative William Lamberth (R-Cottontown), State Representative Courtney Rogers (R-Goodlettsville), and State Representative Terri Lynn Weaver (R-Lancaster) enabling counties to take all necessary steps to end mandatory vehicle emissions testing in Tennessee has passed in the House chamber.
House Bill 1782 — approved by a 96-0 vote tally by House members this week — would apply to citizens of Sumner County where vehicle emissions testing is still required prior to vehicle registration or renewal.
The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act required the state to develop more restrictive regulations to control air pollution from mobile sources in counties which were not meeting the Federal Standards for air quality.
Currently, testing is done on vehicles with a model year of 1975 and newer if they are powered by a gasoline or diesel engine and weigh up to 10,500 lbs. Over 1.5 million vehicles went through emissions testing in Tennessee last year in the six counties where it is required.
The idea for House Bill 1782 came following a report from the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) released last August revealing that all 95 Tennessee counties met federal air quality health standards; after this report was issued, it became clear to the Sumner County Legislative Delegation that mandatory testing was no longer needed.
“Vehicle emissions testing is a costly process that places unnecessary burdens on our working families,” said Representative Lamberth. “It is an honor to support legislation that will enable them to save more of their hard-earned money while also preserving total air quality.”
“There is absolutely no reason for us to have to choose between clean air and this outdated form of testing,” said Representative Rogers. “House Bill 1782 moves Tennessee away from mandatory vehicle emissions testing; this will have a life-changing impact on our working families.”
“Vehicle owners in Sumner County should not be punished as air quality standards have been met,” said Representative Weaver. “Emission testing is not only time-consuming, but it has costs attached; these costs are especially hard for our working families. House Bill 1782 makes managing their finances a little easier.”
For more information about House Bill 1782, click here.
