BY BEN L. KAUFMAN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
It's getting harder to pass E-check in Southwest Ohio.
Test site statistics
Here are failure percentages at Southwest Ohio E-check stations for January-March:
|
Newtown |
7.95
| |
Mason |
9.64
| |
Blue Ash |
10.34
| |
Port Union |
11.88
| |
Dent |
12.55
| |
Hamilton |
12.76
| |
Lebanon |
12.96
| |
Milford |
13.33
| |
Seven Hills |
13.45
| |
Middletown |
15.50
| |
Bethel |
15.70
| |
Beekman |
17.64
| |
Ridgewood |
18.07
|
|
Three-month figures compiled for the Enquirer indicate that test stations are failing more vehicles than when emissions tests resumed in January.
However, there was greater disparity among results from the 13 test stations in Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont counties than after the first month, according to Heidi Griesmer, spokeswoman for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA), who provided the numbers.
The highest flunk rate (18.07 percent) for the first three months came from the Ridgewood station in Columbia Township. It was in the middle of the pack (11.83 percent) after the first month.
Lowest three-month failure rate was Newtown (7.95 percent). In January, it also had the lowest failure rate (6.21 percent). Carol Hester, another OEPA spokeswoman, said the agency was not concerned about the disparity in failure rates because numbers for the whole region remained within the 12-15 percent range.
State officials could not say why the rates fluctuated among stations or why more vehicles are failing the test.
Annually, an estimated 800,000 cars, minivans, sport utility vehicles and light trucks must go through the $19.50 E-check, which is good for two years.
A pass certificate or exemption is required to renew license plates.
Ms. Griesmer said OEPA expects 88 percent to pass and fewer than 2 percent to require such expensive repairs that they qualify for exemptions.
That's a point that critics focus on when they ask why so much time and effort is expended on vehicles whose emissions controls are expected to be in compliance.
OEPA says E-check is the cheapest, most effective way to minimize auto emissions that contribute to unacceptable levels of ozone in summer smog.
If Southwest Ohio has an ozone violation this year, it faces the likelihood of still more stringent federal controls on emissions from vehicles and industries.
