Lemon: hard to justify costs of emissions program

Will Cache County be forced to implement a vehicle emissions testing program even though the county council voted five to two against it? That question could be answered Tuesday at the council’s 5 p.m. meeting.

Cache County Executive Lynn Lemon says he stands strongly behind the council’s decision even though the Utah Division of Air Quality last week formally approved a state implementation plan, or SIP, that requires a vehicle inspection maintenance program for Cache County.

“After I found out that Franklin County didn’t have to do it and Box Elder County didn’t have to do emissions testing,” Lemon says, “and I found out that we weren’t testing diesels, and then to find out that the effect of testing was going to reduce emissions by less than 5% and VLCs by less than 6%, it was very hard for me to justify $1.5 million to $2 million cost to do that.”

Lemon says the county has been faced with serious consequences by the state if a program is not implemented. Bryce Bird from the Utah Division of Air Quality is scheduled to meet with the council Tuesday to further discuss the issue.

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