Publish to Newswire
Add an EventFrom the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature
Proposal is to improve California Air:
Proposal to cut car impact 50% in 1 year
Our proposal is to improve California Air:
Licensed Smog Check service and repair professionals deserve credit and support
Performance Measures
* a quality audit to improve Smog Check performance
* a Smog Check audit flag designed to reduce illusions, that will display after a smog test is performed.
* create vehicle specific emissions standards (proposed by Snap-On Tools) to improve fairness and performance
* evaluation of the ancillary benefits of Smog Check. Cars that are repaired by unlicensed stations, public and repair industry behavior changes that prevent a car from becoming out of compliance.
* create smoke standards to reduce particulate matter (PM); Smog Check does not fail smoking cars.
* require all persons performing Smog Checks to be licensed i.e.; government fleets
* many cars slip by Smog Check requirements i.e.; brand new zip codes, out of state plates like U-Haul using Arizona plates with local California phone numbers permanently painted on the side of the truck, Safety Clean trucks use California plates but are registered in Chicago to a zip code that is not required to get a Smog Check; require certification for vehicles used in zip code areas that require Smog Check
* require Smog Checks by providers who do not have an ownership interest in the car being tested.
* evaluate the level of unlicensed Smog Check repairs provided for pay and develop an audit procedure to improve compliance with the licensing rule.
* official approved manuals required for Smog Check stations have conflicting information, set up continuous correction procedure.
Submitted for a coalition of motorists.
I am happy to answer any questions.
Charlie Peters,
(510) 537-1796,
cappcharlie [at] earthlink.net
Licensed Smog Check service and repair professionals deserve credit and support
Performance Measures
* a quality audit to improve Smog Check performance
* a Smog Check audit flag designed to reduce illusions, that will display after a smog test is performed.
* create vehicle specific emissions standards (proposed by Snap-On Tools) to improve fairness and performance
* evaluation of the ancillary benefits of Smog Check. Cars that are repaired by unlicensed stations, public and repair industry behavior changes that prevent a car from becoming out of compliance.
* create smoke standards to reduce particulate matter (PM); Smog Check does not fail smoking cars.
* require all persons performing Smog Checks to be licensed i.e.; government fleets
* many cars slip by Smog Check requirements i.e.; brand new zip codes, out of state plates like U-Haul using Arizona plates with local California phone numbers permanently painted on the side of the truck, Safety Clean trucks use California plates but are registered in Chicago to a zip code that is not required to get a Smog Check; require certification for vehicles used in zip code areas that require Smog Check
* require Smog Checks by providers who do not have an ownership interest in the car being tested.
* evaluate the level of unlicensed Smog Check repairs provided for pay and develop an audit procedure to improve compliance with the licensing rule.
* official approved manuals required for Smog Check stations have conflicting information, set up continuous correction procedure.
Submitted for a coalition of motorists.
I am happy to answer any questions.
Charlie Peters,
(510) 537-1796,
cappcharlie [at] earthlink.net
For more information:
http://clubs.hemmings.com/frameset.cfm?clu...
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!
Donate
$230.00 donated
in the past month
Get Involved
If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.
Publish
Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.
Topics
More
Search Indybay's Archives
Advanced Search
►
▼
IMC Network
The sole reason that I made the decision to continue to keep and drive my 1972 Volkswagen in 1984 was because of emissions testing programs. My car was always exempt and was never tested in the 31 years of existence. The primary purpose of that 1972 VW is to transport passengers and goods.
That VW exists today as the official emissions testing protest vehicle with mileage on it that far exceeds its original expectations and with still many, many years of life left in it. It is still driven today and the sole reason it is running today - in 2003 is to protest emissions testing programs and the sole reason why I do not know what it is like to have ever owned an OBD II vehicle - and will never own one in the future.
BTW, I keep it registered in New Hampshire where an emissions testing probe was NEVER near it.
Chief, Sherry Mehl, DCA/BAR, has never found out if what is broken on a Smog Check failed car gets fixed, never
Setting the stage: Bleu Wave burns clean on lake
Adam Jensen, Tahoe Daily Tribune, March 14, 2007
With significant help from funds brought in through state grants, a classic 70 foot Burger yacht might just house two of the cleanest-burning diesel boat engines on Lake Tahoe.
Two 500 horsepower Series 60 Detroit engines were installed in January on The Bleu Wave, a vessel previously owned by MontBleu, but bought 2 months ago by Ryan and Laura Forvilly of Round Hill.
"We're running really clean right now," said Ryan Forvilly. "It's probably the cleanest burning boat on Lake Tahoe."
Clark Smithson, the Bleu Wave's captain of three years, estimated the new engines have cut fuel consumption by a third and emissions by half. The new computerized engines also have a leak-free nature that is sure to keep Smithson happy for a long time to come.
"My bilge will stay clean for the first time in years," he said.
Dirty bilge water wasn't the only problem with the old 8V71 diesel engines on the Bleu Wave. A particularly nasty exhaust also had found its source in those engines. When inspectors came to test the emissions, even Smithson was surprised at the outcome.
"It was a little embarrassing," Smithson said. "It was worse than we thought."
That's where the California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board Carl Moyer Memorial Air Quality Standards Program comes in. Started in 1998, the program's aim is to offset the higher cost of cleaner-than-required heavy-duty engines.
"The Carl Moyer Program has been a public health success in its first eight years providing over five dollars worth of health benefits for every dollar spent," said Dr. Robert Sawyer, California Environmental Protection Agency Air Resources Board Chairman, in a press statement. "With the demand for grants routinely outstripping availability, increased funding assured by Governor Schwarzenegger will allow California to more rapidly improve air quality."
In its first six years, the Carl Moyer Program provided over $140 million in funding to clean up more than 6,300 heavy-duty engines. Engines on buses, trash trucks, construction and agricultural vehicles have seen most of the funding from the program, making the on-water improvements of the Bleu Wave a rarity.
Moyer grants covered 80 percent of the costs associated with the boat's new engines, according to Smithson. Obtaining the necessary funding included Carl Moyer Grant contributions from Sacramento, Placer County, and El Dorado County.
"Everyone chipped in," Smithson said. "They were kind of excited about it being the first commercial boat (under the program) on the lake."
Although it may be the first of its kind, it will likely not be the last. John Shearer, owner of Tahoe Sportfishing expects to have 2 of his 6 boats fitted with engines funded through the Carl Moyer Program before the summer boating season. He expects 3 more of his boats' engines to replaced with more efficient, cleaner-burning engines by this fall.
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/article/20070314/NEWS/103140059