David Ferdinand, Steve Rule and Kathy Alder: Emissions incentives could work better than tests

Auto emissions are no laughing matter. We take the issue of air quality very seriously in Canyon County, and the proposal we submitted to the Department of Environmental Quality was a legitimate attempt to improve the air quality in Canyon County and the Treasure Valley.

While Ada County has had vehicle emissions testing for years, and vehicles produced in the ensuing years have gotten much cleaner, the air quality has not improved. When a vehicle fails the Ada County test, the owner simply has to prove that he or she paid someone to try to fix the problem - not that the problem was fixed - and then continue to drive a vehicle which does not meet emissions standards. Is that what you want? Wouldn't we all prefer it if those vehicles were fixed?

As commissioners, we work for the people, who have told us they don't want mandatory emissions testing without scientific evidence that it works. The Treasure Valley is not currently in non-attainment, and won't be for at least three years. All we as commissioners are asking for is some proof that emissions testing works, and a year of voluntary testing conducted by certified new car dealers' repair facilities will help compile accurate data.

Fewer than 8 percent of vehicles in Ada County fail emissions tests. So, while both the Idaho Press-Tribune and the Idaho Statesman ridicule the Canyon County commissioners for coming up with a plan to actually fix the cars with problems and remove those emissions from the air, we believe we're doing those people who fall under the 8 percent, and who lack financial resources to repair their vehicles, a service.

In fact, when we help those people fix their cars, we'll be doing a service to everyone who breathes Treasure Valley air.

Emissions testing is not the single solution that will solve all the air quality problems in the Treasure Valley. Certainly, vehicles are a part of the problem, and we can all contribute by driving less, carpooling, combining trips and otherwise keeping cars off the roadways. Part of the plan we submitted to the DEQ included outreach and education measures to bring this topic to the people, but that fact was ignored by the newspaper writers.

There are no air quality monitors in Canyon County. Therefore, it is impossible to get an accurate reading of the air quality in Canyon County, either before or after vehicle emissions testing. The monitors in Ada County are used to obtain measurements, but the DEQ says the Environmental Protection Agency tells them not to average the readings from the monitors; they take the numbers from whichever is highest. If that single monitor is over the "magic number" needed for non-attainment for three years (regardless of the readings from the other monitors), then the entire Valley is declared to be in non-attainment. The monitor currently showing the highest numbers was in a location near a Boise elementary school, where parents tend to congregate and allow their vehicles to idle, throughout the day. It also is in a "dip" geographically, where the bad air settles. This is what is called "manipulating the data."

The Press-Tribune states, "But the reality is, the only way to make a serious dent in the air quality is to require everyone to be tested. Simple as that."

Our response to that is this: Show us the proof. There are approximately 100,000 registered vehicles in Canyon County that would qualify for testing under the DEQ regulations. Eight percent, or 8,000, are likely to fail. Are our local newspapers able to show proof that by repairing or replacing 8,000 vehicles, all the air quality issues in the Treasure Valley would disappear? We'd like to see that proof.

The Idaho Statesman and Idaho Press-Tribune would have us believe that testing 92,000 vehicles unnecessarily, and charging the owners of those vehicles $20 each, is the best way to clear the air. We disagree. A lot of thoughtful consideration went into drafting our plan, and while it may be out of the box, it deserves careful consideration. Luckily for us, and for 92,000 vehicle owners in Canyon County, the DEQ is considering it more carefully than the local media did.

Let's erase from our minds the philosophy that because Ada County has vehicle emissions testing, so should Canyon County, and consider an alternative. What has been accomplished by testing vehicles in Ada County? Why are drivers there forced to pay for an ineffective and unproven system, particularly when many states are moving away from mandatory emissions testing? Until the DEQ can give us hard data, residents of the Valley should not be subjected to this costly and ineffective system.

Editorial writers may believe that our incentive plan is a joke, but if we can encourage people to take advantage of the program, with the potential of a cash prize, we'll have a year's worth of data, and a lot more facts than we have now. It's so crazy, it just might work.

David Ferdinand, Steve Rule and Kathy Alder are Canyon County commissioners.