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Why Don't All States Have Emissions Testing?

We all want to be green and do what we can to make Chicago, IL and the rest the planet healthier, so why do some states in this country require vehicular emissions testing while others do not? Why is it mandated in the Golden State but not in the Cornhusker State? Does that mean that the air you're breathing in California is cleaner than the oxygen you're inhaling in Nebraska?

Here is an interesting blog from Service King Roseland that asks this timely and very important question about emissions testing?

Getting your vehicle checked for disproportionate emissions has been a part of the American driving experience since 1966, when the State of California founded the country's first vehicle emissions testing program.

Environmentalists throughout the U.S. see great value in emissions testing, but it has never been mandated in every state. Currently, only 32 states have some form of emissions testing while most of the others have no emissions testing at all.

If you reside in an area where emissions tests are required by law, you have to bring your vehicle to a testing station annually or every other year, to make certain that it's producing nothing more that minimal levels of pollution. For car owners who cannot pass the test, they have to fix the car and make things right before driving the car again.  If and when your vehicle fails an emissions test you are then required to have the car repaired at your cost.

In some states emissions testing is statewide, such as in Massachusetts, where vehicles must take an emissions test as part of a safety inspection for a small charge. In many  other states, such as California, Nevada and Missouri, mandated emissions testing only in specific regions that are densely populated and usually every two years. Other states, like Florida, Montana and Nebraska require no emissions testing at all.

So, why doesn't every state make everyone put their cars through emissions testing? Well, in short it goes down to the Constitution and a thing called "state's rights". Each state makes its own laws and the federal government is fine with that. So, if you live in a state that does require emissions testing, you can breathe a little easier. But, if you live in a state where you don't have to undergo any testing, you're off the hook for now, but maybe you should breathe a little less. Just kidding, kind of.

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Sources: EPA, CARB and ASCCA