UNITED STATES
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA-J 35
A
25SEnvironmental News
Fii-.7wat.er (202V 755-0344
O'Neill (202) 755-0344
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE TUESDAY, JULY 20', 19 76
EPA REQUIRES ASSEMBLY LINE AUTO TESTING
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Russell E.
Train today announced an automobile assembly line testing
program, called Selective Enforcement Auditing, designed to help
ensure compliance with Federal exhaust emission standards.
"The auto manufacturers1 own data indicate that more
than half a million 19 76 model cars did not satisfy the
Federal emission requirements when they came off the assembly
line," Train said. "EPA data on 1975 vehicles in actual use
suggest even higher noncompliance. As a result of this new
program, American consumers will be better assured that the
benefits of their investment in pollution control will be
realized."
The audits would apply to 19 77 and later model year cars
and light duty trucks, both domestically produced and imported.
The auditing will be implemented on a trial basis for those
vehicles produced prior to January 1, 1977, and fully imple-
mented after that date.
"The new program is an important step in the Federal
effort to control emissions from motor vehicles, which remain
a major source of air pollution in the Nation," Train said.
"Testing cars at the assembly line to check their emissions
control performance will help ensure that cars are being built
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the way they were designed," Train said, "and provide a
measure of assurance that cars on the road will meet
Federal air pollution standards."
New cars and light duty trucks may not be sold in the
U.S. unless certified by EPA as meeting Federal emission
standards. Certification is granted after emission tests
are made on prototype cars representing the various vehicle
makes, models and configurations. The new auditing program
will more effectively ensure that cars and trucks reaching
the public meet the same emission requirements as the
prototypes tested by EPA.
The EPA audit will work this way: once a particular
vehicle "configuration" (same type engine, emission control
system, transmission and weight class) has been identified
by EPA for testing, a specified number of those vehicles
will be randomly chosen from the production of a single
plant. The testing may then be done by either the
manufacturer or EPA.
If the random tests indicate a failure rate in excess
of that permitted by the regulations, the configuration
being tested may have its certification suspended or revoked.
Once suspended or revoked, the certificate will remain so,
until the manufacturer can demonstrate to EPA that the
problems causing the emissions failure have been corrected.
"During the course of review of these regulations,
an issue was raised regarding the cost-effectiveness of
the Selective Enforcement Audit program," Train said.
"However, after a thorough and careful review, I have
concluded that, the selective nature of the program
requiring testing of only a small number of vehicles
makes it a highly cost-effective and efficient way to
assure the proper emission performance of production
vehicles. Nevertheless, in view of the concerns which
have been expressed, the Agency intends to monitor the
implementation of this program very carefully to assure
that it proves to be cost-effective, particularly in
relation to other automobile emissions control programs.
Once the SEA program has been fully implemented, we will
undertake a review to ensure that its stated objectives are
being met, to determine if modifications are required and
to decide whether continuation of the program is merited."
The new regulations will be published soon gffife
Federal Register.	d Qftemica! Ubi'i
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