CHICAGO – State Senators Sara Feigenholtz and Robert Martwick (D-Chicago) are spearheading a measure to restore vehicle emissions testing sites within the city of Chicago limits after they were removed over five years ago.
“The city of Chicago has a population of 2.8 million people,” Feigenholtz said. “Removing every last testing station within the city was an ill-conceived scheme and another post-mortem blunder of the Rauner administration.”
Senate Bill 1234 would require the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to submit a plan to open testing sites in Chicago, outlining potential locations, implementation plans and timelines.
“The closure of these stations in 2016 created a burden for our residents, and I’m glad that we are going to create a plan that will make emissions testing more convenient for the residents of Chicago and the near suburbs,” Martwick said.
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency made a unilateral decision to close four vehicle emissions testing sites in Chicago in 2016, leaving drivers in a lurch and forcing them to spend hours traveling to the suburbs.
“Our office receives emails and calls from constituents who have to drive long distances and wait in long lines,” Feigenholtz said.
In response to countless constituent calls to restore closer sites, Feigenholtz is responding despite some pushback from the IEPA.
Senate Bill 1234 passed out of the Senate and will be heard in a House committee this Wednesday.
