Emissions (Vernon Location Only)

Why does Connecticut need emissions testing?

Every summer, Connecticut’s air exceeds federal health standards for ozone. Cars and light duty trucks are a significant part of the ozone problem nationwide. Even though you can’t see it, ozone pollution is a reality in Connecticut as well.

The Clean Air Act, enacted by Congress gave the primary responsibility to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for regulating emission control requirements on “mobile sources” such as cars and light duty trucks. However, emission control systems do not always perform as designed over the full useful life of the vehicle. Routine aging, poor state of tune and emission control tampering can increase vehicle emissions.

Although the Clean Air Act is a Federal law covering the entire country, much of the work is carried out by each individual state. The EPA recognizes that it makes sense for states to take the lead in carrying out the Clean Air Act, because pollution control problems often require special understanding of the local environment. Areas of the country where air pollution levels often exceed the national ambient air quality standards are called ‘non-attainment areas’. States that have non-attainment areas were required to develop a State Implementation Plan (SIP), which details how the state would control the pollutants that affect those areas. Included in the Connecticut’s SIP is the Connecticut Vehicle Emissions Program.

To implement the Connecticut Emissions Program, the State of Connecticut has combined the resources of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and Applus Technologies, the program administrator. DMV provides overall oversight of the emissions program; Applus Technologies provides overall program management, testing equipment and service, inspector training and motorist relations.