By Robert L. Redding, Jr.
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ASA is part of a federal advisory committee that is helping the EPA to address on-board inspection and maintenance issues and develop an outreach program for consumers and the repair industry. These early policy outreach efforts should produce long-term dividends for new inspection and maintenance programs, and although repair facilities may be prepared for these new inspections, communicating these issues to the motoring public and the media is a different concern.
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Several states are already involved with on-board diagnostic inspection and maintenance (OBD I/M). And with more to come online in 2002 and the remainder in 2003, federal, state and industry policymakers are working to ensure a better I/M introduction than what we faced after the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. During the '90s, the aftermarket was divided over inspection and maintenance. Much of this stemmed from opposing views on centralized or decentralized inspection.
Recently, the Automotive Service Association, the National Automobile Dealers Association and the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association met with U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials in Washington, D.C., to discuss OBD I/M outreach efforts. The EPA is developing an outreach program for consumers and the repair industry.
The EPA has also formed a federal advisory committee, the On-Board Diagnostics Policy Workgroup. The workgroup will provide policy advice to the EPA and individual states to "help facilitate effective implementation of the use of on-board diagnostics in vehicle inspection and maintenance programs."
The workgroup's goal is to review the EPA's I/M and OBD implementation plans, advise the EPA on the adequacy of the plans, and assist the agency in developing strategies, where needed, to be responsive to recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report, "Evaluating Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs."
The workgroup is also asked to advise the agency on addressing other stakeholder issues regarding the use of OBD in I/M programs for 1996 and newer vehicles. These issues include concerns about the potential conflict of interest for manufacturers checking their own vehicles, OBD durability and changes in failure rates with the transition from I/M to OBD for newer vehicles.
A central piece in any OBD I/M discussion is the NAS report, “Evaluating Vehicle Emissions Inspection and Maintenance Programs.” At the height of congressional inquiries of inspection and maintenance prompted by questions about centralized testing and testing in general, Congress requested the NAS study. Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), as chairman of the House Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, had sought to determine the effectiveness of I/M programs and the accuracy of the MOBILE model, an emissions software program. A funding earmark in the EPA's budget called for “the NAS to conduct a study of the effectiveness of the EPA's inspection and maintenance programs.”
The resulting NAS study's highlights include:
- Evaluations have found much smaller estimated emissions reductions due to I/M than those predicted by models.
- There is a continuing need for programs that identify and repair or remove from the fleet malfunctioning vehicles that contribute a disproportionate share of total emissions.
- States must expect fewer emissions reduction benefits from I/M.
- Crediting of the emissions benefits of I/M should be more closely tied to actual emissions reductions demonstrated in I/M evaluations, not to model predictions.
ASA serves as a member of the workgroup and is hopeful the EPA will continue to reach out to the aftermarket in the coming months on OBD I/M. The EPA's Ann Arbor, Mich., emissions lab staff briefed independent repairers at ASA's Emissions Forum in Las Vegas in the fall. The briefing outlined the EPA's OBD outreach strategies for I/M.
These early policy outreach efforts should produce long-term dividends for new I/M programs. All parties want to avoid the negative results of initial emissions I/M programs in many states across the country.
ASA will work with member shops to develop consumer and service writer messages on I/M that should be helpful as new programs go online. The EPA has made it clear they want to partner with the aftermarket in developing a common public message.
Although repair facilities may be prepared for these new inspections, communicating these issues to the motoring public and the media is a different concern.
As for the NAS study, it will have policy ramifications for state and federal governments. Repairers are encouraged to become better informed about I/M issues and how best to respond to consumers.
