The New EPA Smog Check Phase II Law--Talk Radio Explains It

08/06/96

[ED.: This information was published at http://www.iwe.com/ksfo/]


THE NEW EPA SMOG CHECK PHASE II LIST

Explained by investigative Reporter Karen-Lee Bixman, Guest Speaker,
on the Lee Rodgers & Melanie Morgan Talk Radio Program aired on KSFO
Radio 560 AM, Saturday, July 20, 1996, 6:00a.m. - 7:45a.m.

EPA Phase II law also aired and explained on KSFO for the past several
weeks by KSFO Talk Radio Hosts Geoff Metcalf, Michael Reagan, Barbara
Simpson, and Mary Matlin.  Additional coverage on special KGO
television news spots covering SMOG II, the increase in car fires from
reformulated gas, etc.

Twenty states have voluntarily accepted this plan. Colorado and New
Jersey now have this plan in effect. Japan has this law, and several
European countries have similar laws.

The new EPA Phase II Law is designed to ban all gasoline and diesel
cars, trucks and vans in California that are ten years old and
older. Also to be banned are two stroke engines on motorcycles,
outboard engines, chain saws, lawn mowers, etc. The long range goal of
the EPA is to allow only vehicles four years old and newer to be
operated in the State of California. The rest of the United States
will then be expected to follow suit a short time later.

The vehicles will be labeled "gross polluters" by the EPA then
confiscated and supposedly crushed. The objective of the EPA is to
remove approximately 75% of the vehicles now in use in California
during the next five years.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles, working with the EPA, is
proposing to pay vehicle owner approximately $400.00 to possibly
$750.00 per vehicle, for vehicles voluntarily turned into the EPA
Centers during the first two years of the Phase II Program.

The following three years are planned for vehicle confiscation by the
EPA with the help of local and state law enforcement agencies
without any monetary pay back.

The EPA Smog Check Phase II was passed by the EPA in 1990. It has been
in limited effect up until now. It is scheduled to be put into full
effect by November 1996.

Four new EPA Phase II smog emissions check stations have been set up
at four separate locations in the State of California.

A company named Envirotest has been sanctioned to run and operate
these four new smog check stations.

Envirotest will be granted smog credits by the EPA to keep, use, sell
or take as it sees fit. Envirotest will acquire these smog credits
by removing these older vehicles form the road.  The smog credits
will vary depending on the vehicle's year, make, model, engine size,
fuel consumption rating, etc.

These smog credits can be used by the Envirotest company to avoid
paying fines levied on its factories and businesses, by the EPA, for
polluting the environment.

Envirotest can also sell or trade these smog credits to other
companies and industries to be used for the same
purpose.