{"id":2671694,"date":"2026-09-28T07:14:01","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vehicle-liberty-win-trump-epa-backs-states-exit-from-vehicle-emissions-testing\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T07:16:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T11:16:38","slug":"vehicle-liberty-win-trump-epa-backs-states-exit-from-vehicle-emissions-testing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vehicle-liberty-win-trump-epa-backs-states-exit-from-vehicle-emissions-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Vehicle Liberty Win: Trump EPA Backs State&#8217;s Exit from Vehicle Emissions Testing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvehicle-liberty-win-trump-epa-backs-states-exit-from-vehicle-emissions-testing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2671694&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s (EPA) recent proposal to allow New Hampshire to exit the Northeast air pollution zone known as the Ozone Transport Region, which mandates vehicle emissions testing. Public comments were open until September 25, with final approval contingent upon the EPA&#8217;s decision. The EPA&#8217;s proposal includes dropping New Hampshire\u2019s vehicle inspection and maintenance program from its federal air quality plan, citing projected reductions in pollution and maintained ozone standards despite ending the program. <\/p>\n<p>New Hampshire\u2019s move to end vehicle inspections earlier this year was challenged legally, with a court ruling that the state violated the Clean Air Act without EPA approval. Although some officials and residents support the repeal for personal liberty reasons, others have expressed concerns about air quality and public health. The EPA is still reviewing the petition, with a final decision expected before year-end, and has scheduled a virtual public hearing on the matter.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_2)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Public comments closed Friday on the Environmental Protection Agency\u2019s plan to let New Hampshire leave a Northeast air pollution zone that requires car emissions testing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The EPA\u2019s proposals, published Aug. 11, would grant New Hampshire\u2019s petition to leave the Ozone Transport Region and conditionally approve the state\u2019s request to drop its vehicle inspection and maintenance program from its federal air quality plan, <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/nh\/new-hampshire-clean-air-act-176a-petition-im-program-sip-revision\">according<\/a> to the agency.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The agency is accepting comments on both proposals until Sept. 25, and New Hampshire would leave the region and drop the program only if the EPA finalizes both actions as proposed, the EPA said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The EPA did not immediately provide a comment on the record, and Republican New Hampshire Gov. Kelly Ayotte\u2019s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation\u2019s requests for comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The Ozone Transport Region is a group of Northeastern states required to include ozone reduction measures in their air quality plans even if they already meet federal ozone standards, the agency said in an Aug. 6 <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epa.gov\/newsreleases\/epa-continues-expedite-new-hampshires-clean-air-act-requests-two-proposed-actions\">statement<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The region includes New Hampshire as well as Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, D.C., and parts of northern Virginia, according to the EPA\u2019s <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/FR-2026-08-11\/pdf\/2026-16330.pdf\">proposal<\/a> in the Federal Register.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Because New Hampshire is within the region, its plan includes the inspection program, and the state must leave the region and show that ending the program will not interfere with meeting national air quality standards, according to the EPA.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">New Hampshire\u2019s data projects that emissions of nitrogen oxides, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide will fall 16%, 2.7% and 1.9% from 2022 to 2026 even without the inspection program, partly because older vehicles are being replaced by cleaner ones, according to the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">All 12 of the state\u2019s air monitoring sites measured ozone at or below 65 parts per billion from 2022 to 2024, under the federal limit of 70 parts per billion, the agency said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The EPA has previously found that New Hampshire does not significantly contribute to ozone problems in downwind states, and ending the inspection program does not change that finding, according to the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The state has committed to keeping every other pollution control measure it adopted as a member of the region, the EPA said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The approval is conditional on New Hampshire submitting a follow-up plan within one year that lists the inspection program as a backup measure, and it would automatically become a disapproval if the state misses that deadline, according to the proposal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cEPA is committed to working collaboratively with states to reduce unnecessary regulatory burdens while maintaining strong environmental protections and following our statutory obligations. This is the best way to provide clean air for all Americans,\u201d EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in the Aug. 6 statement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cCommonsense rulemaking is essential to advancing air quality across New England. We look forward to receiving the public input at this stage of the review process,\u201d EPA Region 1 Administrator Mark Sanborn added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Ayotte signed a law in June 2025 repealing the program, including its emissions testing, the agency said. The state asked the EPA to approve the change on Dec. 24, 2025.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The state\u2019s inspection program ended early this year despite warnings from Sanborn that ending it without federal approval would put New Hampshire in violation of federal law, the New Hampshire Bulletin <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/newhampshirebulletin.com\/2026\/08\/06\/epa-draft-decision-indicates-support-for-new-hampshires-plan-to-end-mandatory-vehicle-inspection\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">New Hampshire officials said data in the state\u2019s application showed that ending the tests would not harm air quality, though some experts said the information in a draft version was not conclusive, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Police stopped enforcing the requirement in February, and drivers can still be fined for unsafe equipment such as bald tires or cracked windshields, New Hampshire Public Radio <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nhpr.org\/nh-news\/2026-08-06\/epa-takes-initial-steps-to-approve-end-of-nh-vehicle-inspection-program\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Republicans in the state backed the repeal as a win for personal liberty, while mechanics and auto dealers opposed it, according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">A federal judge ruled the state was in violation of the Clean Air Act without the EPA\u2019s approval, InDepthNH <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/indepthnh.org\/2026\/08\/06\/elected-leaders-ag-react-to-proposed-trump-administration-fix-for-nh-vehicle-inspection\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Gordon-Darby, the company that makes the state\u2019s inspection equipment, sued and won a preliminary injunction blocking the repeal, InDepthNH <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/indepthnh.org\/2026\/03\/23\/auto-inspections-epa-says-it-will-fast-track-nhs-emission-exemption-request\/\">reported<\/a> in March.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">After the judge ordered the state in February to resume inspections, Republican New Hampshire House Majority Leader Jason Osborne said, \u201cVehicle inspections are dead in the Live Free or Die state, no matter what delusion this judge is under,\u201d according to InDepthNH\u2019s February <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/indepthnh.org\/2026\/02\/26\/judge-orders-vehicle-inspection-program-reinstated-immediately-ag-mulls-order\/\">report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">Democratic Executive Councilor Karen Liot Hill said residents were experiencing \u201cneedless turmoil due to the Legislature\u2019s reckless decision to eliminate auto inspections without putting a responsible plan in place,\u201d according to the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The judge declined in April to hold state officials in contempt, the Boston Globe <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/2026\/04\/29\/metro\/nh-motor-vehicle-inspections-judge-contempt-spared\/\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The company has since dropped its suit, the Keene Sentinel <a class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.keenesentinel.com\/state_news\/epa-gives-n-h-the-thumbs-up-for-ending-car-inspections\/article_b28d8c5e-6191-4740-8c6f-17f4b16c284e.html\">reported<\/a> in August.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">A Wilton woman has also sued over the end of inspections, citing air pollution and its effect on people\u2019s breathing, in a case that has drawn support from the equipment maker, according to the Sentinel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">\u201cToday\u2019s proposed actions are an important step toward bringing New Hampshire\u2019s federal air quality requirements into alignment with state law,\u201d Republican New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said in a statement, the Bulletin reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The EPA scheduled a virtual public hearing for Aug. 26 on its proposal to remove New Hampshire from the region, according to the Federal Register notice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"LexicalEditorTheme__paragraph\">The agency has up to 18 months to decide on such petitions but said it is working to issue a final decision before the end of the year.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimer\">\n<p>All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. 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