BILL ANALYSIS �
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE BILL NO: SB 519
SENATOR MARK DESAULNIER, CHAIRMAN AUTHOR: la malfa
VERSION: 3/25/11
Analysis by: Jennifer Gress FISCAL: yes
Hearing date: April 26, 2011
SUBJECT:
Smog check program: under-the-hood visual inspection
DESCRIPTION:
This bill prohibits a smog check technician from conducting an
under-the-hood visual inspection as part of a smog inspection.
ANALYSIS:
To meet federal air quality standards, existing law requires
California-registered, gasoline-powered vehicles and certain
diesel-powered vehicles to undergo biennial smog inspections to
measure motor vehicle-related pollutants. New vehicles,
vehicles six model years old and newer, vehicles with a pre-1976
model year, electric vehicles, motorcycles, and large commercial
vehicles are exempt from the smog check program. If a vehicle
fails any component of a smog inspection, the vehicle owner
must, with some exceptions, repair the vehicle and pass a
subsequent smog inspection before being able to register or
renew the registration of the vehicle.
The Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) administers the smog check
program, developing test procedures, licensing smog check
technicians and stations, establishing, in cooperation with the
Air Resources Board, "cut points" or emissions levels that a
vehicle may not exceed, and administering a consumer assistance
program, among other duties.
A smog inspection generally involves three components: a
"tailpipe test" measuring exhaust emissions, a functional test
to ensure that certain critical emission control components are
operational including the vehicle's on-board diagnostic (OBD)
system, if applicable, and a visual inspection to ensure that
required emission controls are not missing, modified, or
disconnected. The tailpipe test requires loaded-mode
dynamometer testing in areas of the state known as "enhanced"
SB 519 (LA MALFA) Page 2
areas or, in other areas, two-speed idle testing. Beginning as
early as January 1, 2013, BAR will begin testing using OBD
systems in lieu of loaded-mode dynamometer or two-speed idle
testing on model-year 2000 and newer vehicles. A visual
inspection includes both a check for visible smoke emissions
from the vehicle's exhaust pipe and a check "under the hood" to
ensure that the vehicle includes all required emissions control
equipment, that the equipment is properly installed, and that
any aftermarket parts installed on the vehicle have been
certified through an Executive Order issued by the Air Resources
Board.
This bill prohibits a smog check technician from conducting an
under-the-hood visual inspection as part of a smog check
inspection.
COMMENTS:
1.Purpose . The author asserts that because smog inspections are
intended to ensure that a vehicle's emissions are at or below
a certain level and because the under-the-hood visual
inspection does not gauge emission levels, the under-the-hood
visual inspection is an excessive component of the smog
inspection. This bill, therefore, eliminates this requirement
in order to simplify the process for smog check technicians
and save time for vehicle owners.
2.Smog check measures more than tailpipe emissions . Contrary to
the author's assertion, a smog inspection assesses more than
tailpipe emissions; it also measures evaporative emissions
from the fuel tank, and it ensures that the vehicle has not
been tampered with in a manner that could result in increased
emissions or distort the performance of required emissions
control equipment. Furthermore, traditional tailpipe testing
is not a sensitive measure of exhaust emissions, so it is
important to supplement the tailpipe test with other tests to
ensure that the vehicle is functioning properly and not
emitting excessive levels of pollutants. The under-the-hood
visual inspection is an important element of the smog
inspection as it allows a technician to see that required
emissions control equipment is properly installed.
Ensuring that equipment is properly installed is especially
important for vehicles manufactured prior to the 2000 model
year, which will continue to be subject to traditional
SB 519 (LA MALFA) Page 3
tailpipe testing via loaded-mode dynamometer or two-speed idle
testing. Something as mundane as a disconnected or loose hose
could increase "cold start" and evaporative emissions that
would not otherwise be captured through tailpipe testing. The
under-the-hood visual inspection also ensures that
unauthorized aftermarket parts, which can increase vehicle
performance at the expense of emissions levels, have not been
installed on the vehicle. For model-year 2000 and newer
vehicles that are subject to OBD testing, an under-the-hood
visual inspection will be important to ensure that tampering
has not occurred to change the performance of the vehicle in a
way that overrides the OBD system.
3.Why is this bill needed ? It is unclear what problem the
author is trying to address. The under-the-hood visual
inspection takes approximately five minutes, and BAR is not
aware of any complaints with this component of the inspection
procedure.
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the Committee before noon on
Wednesday,
April 20, 2011)
SUPPORT: None received.
OPPOSED: Bay Area Air Quality Management District
California Air Pollution Control Officers
Association (CAPCOA)
Sierra Club California