County working on implementing vehicle emissions program by year’s end

<strong>LOGAN—</strong>Cache County does not have to have its vehicle emission testing program in place until 2013, but steps are being taken to have it ready for implementation by the end of this year.  

On Tuesday, the Cache County Council chose members of a committee to set up the program which includes county council members Jon White, Craig Peterson, and Cory Yeates. Also on the committee are county executive Lynn Lemon, Jeff Gilbert of the CMPO, Lloyd Beretson and Grant Kofoed from the Bear River Health Department, Rod Bowen, from the Automotive Maintenance Repair Industry, Dave Thatcher, citizen at large, and Joe Thomas from the Utah Division of Air Quality.

Lemon said he’s received some letters from cities and others wanting to challenge the EPA for making the program mandatory. Lemon said the council has decided against that.

“We’d rather us put together that proposal, rather than have the EPA come in here and tell us what we’re going to do. So, I think we’ll be working on that in the next probably six weeks. We’re really trying to have it approved by the middle of August,” Lemon said. “One of the things that we are going to do in there is put in a sunset provision, so that once we come into compliance that we don’t continue to do it. It’s not something that we’re going to do forever.”

Lemon said members of the county council are concerned about looking out for citizens. He said one provision will be to help those whose vehicles are out of compliance to look for the least expensive way to bring them into compliance.

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