CALIFORNIA COMMENTARIES : No Smog Checks at Service Stations : As the only state to defy EPA guidelines, California faces the loss of $800 million in highway funds.

The people of California deserve clean air, and it’s the job of the Environmental Protection Agency to help the state reduce air pollution in the most effective ways. I’m eager to work with Californians and their public officials to improve the auto-emissions inspection program to help all Californians breathe a little easier.

There are those who would argue that a better program would cost jobs, be inconvenient and not even improve air quality. Don’t believe it.

An improved inspection program would give Californians economic security, freedom of mobility offered by personal automobiles and clean air. It’s a win-win-win situation, with the only losers being those who cannot accept the plain truth: today’s smog-check program does not work and, without major restructuring, cannot be made to work. EPA’s door is open--we are willing to talk with anyone at any time about designing a new program.

We must not lose sight of the reason for having an auto-inspection program in the first place. Despite progress over the past 20 years, we still have serious air-pollution problems in most of our cities. Over 80% of California residents are exposed ot unhealthy air during the course of a year. This is unacceptable. In this state, cars and trucks generate more than 40% of all air pollution. Much of the progress we’ve made has been offset by the continued growth in the number of cars on our roads.

California has been a leader in adopting stringent auto-tailpipe standards. Its low-emission vehicle program scheduled to start next year will force the auto industry to develop even cleaner cars. But these standards often are achieved only when the cars are new. We need a periodic inspection program of all cars in urban areas to ensure that the emission controls are operating at the same level of efficiency as when the cars were new.

The 1990 Federal Clean Air Act requires that all states with serious air-pollution problems improve their vehicle inspection programs. The key improvement will be to replace the simple idle test that worked on cars built 10 years ago with a high-technology test to more accurately measure emissions from today’s cars, in which carburetors have given way to electronically controlled fuel injectors and computer chips control everything from air-conditioning to brakes.

Also, 20 years of experience have shown that allowing service stations that repair cars to perform emissions tests is not a good idea. Although many stations have good intentions, for a number of reasons--lack of training, out-of-repair equipment or plain cheating--many cars do not get the proper tests. Surprise inspections of many service stations found sometimes as few as one car in four received the proper testing.

By contrast, facilities that only perform emission testing do it right 90% of the time. That means that the inspections will catch polluting cars, necessary repairs will be made and the air will be cleaner. So EPA has told all states that the new inspection programs must be performed at test-only facilities. About half the states have such programs. The other half, with one exception, are changing. The sole exception is California.

Test-only facilities are convenient for motorists. Under the current system, a recent survey found that California motorists wait on average more than 90 minutes to get an inspection at a service station. Cities with test-only stations have average waiting times of 10 minutes. In Chicago, the wait time is only six minutes. And the facilities would be located around metropolitan areas.

Motorists will save money. Californians today pay much more than other Americans for their inspections, about $32 per test. In Maryland, I pay $9 per test every two years. The average cost in test-only states is a bit lower: only $8.50.

One common myth is that job loss will result from reduced work for service stations. The opposite its true. Some technicians now at service stations will be needed to staff the new test facilities, but more importantly, the improved tests will accurately identify polluting cars. Those cars will need to be repaired, and service stations and auto dealers will see an increase in their repair business; new jobs will be created for skilled auto-repair technicians. A 1992 Booz-Allen Hamilton study estimated a net increase of 700 jobs in California.

If the California legislature fails to enact an acceptable program, the Clean Air Act requires EPA to impose sanctions. I want to reiterate that EPA wants to work with state officials. But if this fails, the law requires me to move on sanctions, which include withholding of $600 million-$800 million in federal highway construction funds and growth restrictions on new industry.