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| What is Governor McGreevey up to? Jan. 24, 2002. My friend and associate Ben sent me an email containing an article. �The Star-Ledger� article broke the news that the current NJ emissions test was obsolete and was being replaced by the controversial �On Board Diagnostic� (OBDII) computer test. It said that 1996 and newer vehicles would use this new US-EPA mandated computer test. This test would be backed-up by the current �treadmill (dynamometer) test� if the computer test failed. Starting next year, 50% to 60% of NJ�s registered vehicles will be tested in this manner for one year. Then the �dynamometer� backup test will be dropped and the vehicle owner who fails the computer test will be forced to have their vehicle repaired. Older vehicles will still be tested using the current test. Private garages will have to shell out more money for the computer test upgrade and will have fewer customers needing the current test. They may look to the taxpayers to help pay for their currently mandated test equipment investment of approximately $50,000. Their problem is that the 30 to 40% of the vehicles needing the current test will, for all practical purposes, disappear in 4 to 5-years according to current vehicle replacement rates. The NJ-DEP and State Legislature, under the watchful eye of then US-EPA Regional Administrator Jeanne Fox, were continually reminded about the penalties that the state would suffer if they didn�t move forward. Now Governor James McGreevey plans to investigate the $500-million contractual mess that Ms Fox helped create. Ms Fox is now back in a cabinet post in NJ and her previous adversary, Christie Whitman, is the Administrator of the US-EPA. Ironic isn�t it. How did we get here? The US-EPA ordered the State of New Jersey to sharply reduce air pollution from the states 6-million vehicles. The EPA and the state relied upon earlier federally funded studies that led the state to conclude that the new vehicle inspection system would weed out (now non-existent) high polluting cars and reduce the emissions of pollutants by better than 800 tons per day. New federal studies now indicate that such reductions are not likely to be achieved largely because cars are not producing as much pollution as had been believed. Why are we changing the test rather than scrapping them? Is Governor McGreevey looking to break the Parsons 7-year contract to stop emissions tests or is he only interested in replacing Parsons employees with state employees? We will have to wait and see. Why is the press suddenly writing articles and editorials about this $500-million boondoggle? I have read quotes such as �This was one expensive lesson in inefficiency� �Some $500-million too late, the government has figured out that newer cars don�t pollute the air.� And the one I absolutely love. �NJ taxpayers should wonder what exactly they received for their $500-million � except a lot of unnecessary headaches.� Ben, in our correspondences about this flurry of truth telling by our press, asked the most interesting questions. Where was the press 10-years ago? Why didn�t the press come to this conclusion 5-years ago when the state could only find one contractor? Why didn�t the press take those of us who were fighting city hall seriously? I doubt that we will ever know why the press was a day late and a dollar short. I don�t really care. I have two problems. Where were our government representatives? But most of all, where were you? Geo. R. Reinis |
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