Under a compromise reached by the governor and top legislators yesterday, Maryland would resume vehicle emissions inspections within months but without the most controversial new tests.
Motorists would be given an 18-month reprieve from the most "intrusive" tests, which involved technicians disconnecting hoses as well as driving cars at high speeds on tread mill-like dynamometers, Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced.
A technician would continue to test tailpipe emissions -- as has been done for a decade -- and would look under the hood for any tampering with anti-pollution equipment. But the worker would not disconnect hoses as originally required.
"We have all listened to the people of Maryland who have written many letters expressing their concern over whether the program will work and whether it represents excessive government intrusion into their lives,"the governor said at a news conference with key legislators.
The American Automobile Association applauded the idea of scaling back the tests. "The program has clearly been rife with headaches and hassles for the consumer thus far," said John R. Undeland, a spokesman for AAA's Potomac chapter. "We very much support this approach to take a step back and really evaluate the program."
The compromise will be put before the Maryland General Assembly this winter, and several legislators predicted it would be passed.
"The main reason is there are statistics, and I believe them, that the cheapest way to get these [pollutants] out of the air is by [cleaning up]vehicle emissions," said Sen. Walter M. Baker, a conservative Eastern Shore Democrat who helped negotiate the compromise.
The emissions program outlined yesterday probably would begin soon after passage of the legislation, motor vehicle officials said.
To meet new federal clean air requirements, the state agreed to launch more stringent emission tests a month ago. But officials put the program on hold days after it began because of computer problems at the 19 testing stations scattered around the region.
Encouraged by conservative radio call-in shows, residents called legislators and wrote letters complaining about the inconvenience and intrusiveness of the new inspections.
Many disliked the idea of turning their keys over to a technician -- a high school graduate with two weeks' training who would drive their cars on a treadmill at speeds of up to 55 mph.
Some lawmakers vowed to abolish that part of the program.
Under the compromise, the vast majority of vehicles would skip the treadmill test until July 1, 1996, Mr. Glendening said yesterday.
The governor said the under-the-hood test would be scaled back in response to complaints. Originally, an attendant was supposed to fiddle with some hoses and force air into the car's evaporative system to check for leaks.
Under the compromise, the technician would merely look under the hood to make sure no one had tampered with anti-pollution equipment installed by the manufacturer.
The cost of the test would drop from $17 to $14, and the amount of repairs a failing motorist would have to make would be kept at $150.
Senator Baker said he hoped to further reduce the price, perhaps by dipping into other state funds to subsidize the
program.
Mr. Glendening said the compromise would enable Maryland to keep alive a program vital to the state's air quality. The alternative way of meeting federal anti-smog requirements would a severe crackdown on industries, hurting the economy, he said. "That is not acceptable."
Congress decreed war on motor vehicle emissions in Baltimore, Washington and about 80 other urban areas when it amended the federal Clean Air Act in 1990. The law sought to eliminate unhealthful levels of ground-level ozone -- better known as "smog" -- that occur during summer.
Baltimore has the sixth worst smog in the country, and Washington ranks 10th, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Ozone inflames lungs and causes breathing problems for many. It forms when gases from fuel vapors and combustion combine on hot sunny days.
Glen Besa, environmental programs director for the American Lung Association of Maryland, said, "We're obviously concerned about the delay in getting cleaner air."
But he said the decision to postpone controversial aspects of the inspection program was "sound," given the public furor that had been generated.
Opponents of the stricter testing were not completely satisfied yesterday.
"I'm delighted to see we've won this round, but we have a long way to go," said Del. Martha S. Klima, a Baltimore County Republican. She said the treadmill tests and under-the-hood checks should be abolished so they could not be reinstated. "There are individual freedoms that people are not ready to relinquish to big government," she said.
EPA officials had threatened to withhold millions in federal highway funds from states that ignored its cleanup requirements but have retreated in the face of fierce resistance from some other states.
The federal agency now says it will give states more "flexibility" and time to figure out ways to reduce smog. But those cuts must be made, one way or another, the EPA says.
In Maryland, Senator Baker said the compromise tests would remove 23.5 tons of pollutants from the air a day, slightly more than twice the amount eliminated by the pre-1995 program.
The enhanced testing would have removed about 40 tons. But Mr. Baker thinks the compromise plan would stave off the loss of federal funds, at least for some time.
CHANGES IN AUTO EMISSIONS TESTS
PRE-1995 TESTING
* What: Cars, minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light trucks. (Pre-1977 vehicles exempt.)
* How: Tailpipe check lasting a few minutes with vehicle at idle. Owner stays behind the wheel.
* Cost: $8.50 (Autos that fail are eligible for a waiver after at least $150 worth of repairs.)
* When: Required every two years. (Program began in 1985.)
* Where: Vehicles registered in the city and seven counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's.
ORIGINAL PLAN FOR 1995
* What: Cars, minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light trucks. (Pre-1977 vehicles exempt. Model years 1995 and later get two-year exemption.)
* How: Two-stage process lasting 10 to 15 minutes. During tailpipe check, technician "drives" vehicle on treadmill-like dynamometer at speeds up to 55. Second part is under-the-hood test of evaporative system. (1977 through 1983 vehicles get just the tailpipe test with vehicle at idle.)
* Cost: $17 (Autos that fail are eligible for a waiver after at least $250 worth of repairs.)
* When: Required every two years. (Program was to begin Jan. 3 but was postponed indefinitely.)
* Where: The city and 13 counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's and Washington.
COMPROMISE PROPOSED YESTERDAY
* What: Cars, minivans, sport-utility vehicles, light trucks. (Pre-1977 vehicles exempt. Model years 1995 and later get two-year exemption.)
* How: Tailpipe check with vehicle at idle, as performed before 1995. Owner stays behind the wheel. Under-the-hood visual check for any tampering with emissions controls, but no hoses are touched.
* Cost: $14 (Autos that fail are eligible for a waiver after at least $150 worth of repairs.)
* When: Required every two years. (Program may begin within days or months after the legislature passes the compromise.)
* Where: The city and 13 counties: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Carroll, Cecil, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George's, Queen Anne's and Washington.