Tennessee Senator calls on residents to attend hearing seeking to end emissions tests

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--A Tennessee Senator is calling on residents to attend a public hearing which could put an end to those annual emissions tests.

Senator Ferrell Haile (R-Gallatin) released a statement on Wednesday urging residents in Sumner and Davidson counties to attend the hearing slated for 5 p.m. on November 19 at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation offices located at 901 R.S. Grass Boulevard in Nashville.

Sen. Haile was among the co-sponsors of a bill passed into law last year seeking to end emissions tests, which are federally mandated in an effort to meet federal air quality standards. The bill authorizes counties that have met the Environmental Protection Agency's standards on air pollution to do away with emissions testing as long as they are "in attainment" of federal guidelines.

Sen. Haile notes the state has been meeting the standards since 2017, calling the tests a "burden on lower-income people who cannot afford new vehicles."

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation in response will change the State Implementation Plan (SIP) to remove mandatory inspections in the six counties still requiring inspections. These include Sumner, Davidson, Rutherford, Williamson, Wilson, and Hamilton.