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* The Transportation Research Board, a division of the National Research Council, found that Chicago drivers spent an additional 45,000 hours on the road because of this change by the IEPA…
About two years ago, state environmental regulators announced a controversial move to close the last two vehicle emissions testing facilities in Chicago, along with two other testing sites in the suburbs.
Officials with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said the closures stemmed from a new seven-year contract with the Chicago-based company Applus Technologies to conduct vehicle emission tests for the state starting in November 2016. The agreement, officials said, would save the state agency $100 million over the course of the contract, reducing the cost of each emissions test from $6.95 to $2.85.
But a new analysis shows that the move came at a cost to hundreds of thousands of Chicagoans, with the biggest impact on low-income and minority drivers. The decision also had a negative impact on area roadways and the environment.
City vehicle owners traveled an estimated additional 1.9 million miles over the past two years as a result of the two Chicago testing sites closing, according to a recently published study. The additional travel amounts to an increase of nearly 768,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. Put another way, those extra 1.9 million miles produced the same amount of carbon dioxide emissions as that produced by the electricity used in 115 homes in a single year, according to the EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.
The study is based on state emissions testing data from 2014-15 for more than 380,000 vehicles tested at the two now-closed Chicago facilities. Illinois EPA did not provide researchers with data for the Tinley Park and Elk Grove Village testing sites that closed in 2016.
The study is here.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:40 am
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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Too. Much. Irony.
Comment by Montrose Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:47 am
Ironically, the one on Webster in Chicago is now being used as a Tesla inventory parking lot.
Comment by Ok Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:48 am
Pritzker’s team needs to take a hard look at IEPA leadership and make significant and deep changes.
Comment by El Conquistador Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:48 am
Emissions testing has always been a “poor tax”. The poor drive more older, poorly maintained cars. You aren’t going to resolve any emissions issue for less than several hundred dollars. Not being able to pay the amount but having to drive subjects you to fines. The whole scheme should be ended.
Comment by Anonimity Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:50 am
Good for Howard Learner for putting a name with this policy change. “Rauner administration”
Unfortunately, WTTW never does a first reference. The words Governor and Bruce don’t appear in this story.
“The findings are exactly what one would have anticipated from the Rauner administration’s misguided decision to close down all testing locations in Chicago and force people from the largest city in the state to go to the suburbs to get their vehicles tested,” said Howard Learner, executive director of the Chicago-based Environmental Law and Policy Center.
Comment by Tom Threat Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 10:58 am
Why would you put the testing sites far from the largest concentration of drivers? If paying for land was costly why not put testing machines on Secretary of State land parking lots?
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:04 am
What’s the big deal? 1.4%’s administration saved the state $100 million over the life of the contract. He was running the state like a business. He didn’t care that closing 4 testing stations was going to cost residents more money to travel to an open station, cause more air pollution in an already USEPA attainment zone. But he saved $100 million.
Comment by Huh? Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:05 am
Wonder how much they could have saved if they were not doing the James Bond movie level of security with the retina scans and everything on the staff.
Closing the Chicago locations was the definition of a bad idea.
Comment by OneMan Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:34 am
Rauner wanted to stick it to Chicago so he did.
Comment by The Captain Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:41 am
There were no “savings” in the Rauner contract. The costs in time and money just got passed on to motorists.
Comment by wordslinger Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:58 am
So with 1.9 million miles and 380,00,000 cars, each driver had to drive an extra 2.5 miles 1 way for the state to save 100 million?
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 11:59 am
The emission test has outlived it’s usefulness. They should end the program and close down ALL the test stations.
Comment by DuPage Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 12:29 pm
Remnant of the past. When people stopped asking for regular or ethyl gas, we should have stopped emissions testing.
Comment by Steve Rogers Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 12:38 pm
Guessing the aldermen in Dunning and Bucktown aren’t too broken up about this.
Comment by City Zen Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 2:05 pm
=Ironically, the one on Webster in Chicago is now being used as a Tesla inventory parking lot.=
Equally ironic is that Tesla production is all caught up and is carrying inventory.
Comment by EIscher Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 2:50 pm
Wow do Republicans ever hate Chicagoans.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Nov 26, 18 @ 3:06 pm
==There were no “savings” in the Rauner contract. The costs in time and money just got passed on to motorists.==
Isn’t that in a nutshell the paradox of most ” austerity measures”? You pay either way.
Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Wednesday, Nov 28, 18 @ 4:31 am