Russ Zimmer

@RussZimmer

New Jersey's environmental regulators are seeking to change the state's Clean Air Act plan to accommodate new rules that exempt some of the "dirtiest" cars on the road.

On May 1, the Motor Vehicle Commission implemented some fundamental changes to the emissions inspection process in New Jersey.

One of those changes — the exemption of a quarter-million older cars from tailpipe testing — raised the ire of environmentalists, who argue that aging models pollute the air more than newer cars.

Emissions testing is no longer required on certain gasoline-powered passenger vehicles, including:

model year 1995 and older that weigh 8,500 pounds or less

model year 2007 and older that weigh between 8,501 and 14,000 pounds

model year 2013 and older that weigh 14,001 pounds or more.

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On Monday, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection rolled out a proposal to change the State Implementation Plan, the document that guides the state's adherence to the Federal Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1990.

Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state DEP, said the revisions must be adopted in response to the MVC's changes to emissions testing protocol.

However, the New Jersey Sierra Club takes issue with what it calls a "rubber stamp" rule change, saying that "the horse has already left the barn."

"They’re taking the ‘adopt first, environmental review and permit later’ approach to eliminating tailpipe emissions testing," said Jeff Tittel, director of the New Jersey Sierra Club, in a statement to the media.

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However, according to the proposal's language, the DEP has no authority over what vehicles are subject to testing. That's the domain of the MVC.

The DEP can only set boundaries on how the test is administered. In this case, that means requiring on-board diagnostic testing, which is only found on cars manufactured since 1996 — and those are still required to submit to emissions testing every other year.

Eliminating tailpipe emission tests won’t prevent New Jersey from meeting air quality requirements, MVC deputy chief administrator Jeanne Ashmore told the Press in December.

A public hearing has been scheduled for 10 a.m. June 24 at the DEP's headquarters in Trenton. Comments can be filed online www.nj.gov/dep/rules/comments/ until July 15.

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Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com