Weber diesel testing data released after first month of testing
SPS Tire Pro manager Rusty Clifford looks for anything that may "trick" a car's emissions computer on a Toyota Camry on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at SPS Tire Pro in Harrisville.
Weber-Morgan Health Department January diesel emissions test failures data by model year.
SPS Tire Pro manager Rusty Clifford checks the oil after an oil change on a Toyota Camry on Tuesday, Jan. 3, at SPS Tire Pro in Harrisville.
A Weber County inspection permit is displayed on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 at SPS Tire Pro in Harrisville.
Editors note: Due to a source error, a previous version of this story included incorrect information about vehicle model years that failed the emissions tests. Some diesel vehicles model years 2008 and newer have failed emissions tests in Weber County, though exact numbers are not yet available.
One in seven diesel-powered vehicles failed during the first full month of new Weber County emissions testing requirements.
After much debate, the Weber-Morgan Health Board passed a rule last September that requires diesel-fueled cars and trucks to undergo the same emissions tests required of gas vehicles. These tests are required to receive vehicle registration. The rule went into effect on Jan. 1.
RELATED: New year, new diesel rule in Weber County
In the month of January, 14.2 percent of diesel-powered vehicles failed the emissions test, compared to a 4.6 percent failure rate for gas-powered vehicles, the Weber-Morgan Health Department reports. Of the failing diesel cars and trucks, 38 percent failed the test due to visible tampering.
“Given that we’ve never inspected diesel vehicles before, it’s not surprising the diesel failure rate is nearly three times that of the gas rate,” said Iain Hueton, a member of the health department’s Air Quality Advisory Committee.
Hueton argued in favor of a diesel emissions testing program in Weber County while the health board mulled the issue for more than a year. Hueton and other air quality advocates said a diesel emissions program was an important step in improving local air quality.
RELATED: With diesel emissions plan passed, health officials look to future
The new rule applies to diesel-powered vehicles that weigh under 14,000 pounds and model years 1998 and newer. All tests include visual inspections for tampering.
Diesel vehicle owners who fail the emissions test have a one-year grace period to make repairs as the county rolls out the new program.
That grace period will likely cause delays in seeing a measurable difference in the county’s air quality, Hueton said.
“But when (a tampered vehicle) is right by my car window, and blows smoke at me when it hits the gas, it does make a difference, regardless of the number of vehicles that pass or fail,” he said.
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Tampering with a vehicle’s emissions controls is a violation of the federal Clean Air Act. State officials and local health departments have worked in recent years to crack down on deliberate tampering that causes vehicles to “roll coal” and intentionally blow dark smoke.
The Utah Legislature passed a 2015 law that allowed local health departments to work with the Department of Motor Vehicles to revoke registrations for smoking vehicles.
From June to December 2016, the Weber-Morgan Health Department issued 246 warning letters to vehicle owners who received smoking vehicle complaints. Of those, 34 were required to come to the health department for an emissions tests, 18 vehicles failed and 11 registrations were revoked.
RELATED: Smoking vehicle complaints rise
Pleasant View Mayor Toby Mileski is a health board member. He also expressed skepticism about whether a diesel emission program would make a measurable difference in the county’s airshed during last year’s debates.
He said he supports efforts to keep vehicle owners from illegally modifying their emissions controls, but he remains unsure about whether Weber County’s diesel emissions program is worth the hassle for county citizens.
“If you bought (a vehicle) and it was already altered, a majority wouldn’t know … but if they knowingly altered emissions controls, then darn it, they need to put it back to what it was,” he said.
Mileski said he’s received “a lot” of phone calls from residents of Pleasant View complaining about the hassles of new diesel requirements.
“But of all the people who were wanting (diesel testing), I haven’t heard from any one saying ‘thanks for passing it,'” Mileski said.
Contact Reporter Leia Larsen at 801-625-4289 or llarsen@standard.net. Follow her on Facebook.com/leiaoutside or on Twitter @LeiaLarsen.
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