Hawai’i so far does not have the kind of air pollution that triggers federal response (withholding of highway funds; restrictions on new industry and the like). But there are some disturbing indications that air quality will deteriorate in the future if nothing is done. House Bill 2668, which would have directed the Department of Health to set standards for automobile emissions by June 30, 1995, might have helped prevent that deterioration. The bill passed its first committee hurdle (a joint hearing of the House committees on Health, Jim Shon, chair, and Transportation, Paul Oshiro, chair), but never made it out of Rep. Mark Andrews’ Planning, Energy and Environmental Protection Committee. DOH testimony seems to have sunk the bill.
Requiring automobiles to meet emissions standards entails an annual inspection program. Almost all new cars meet the standards, but with age, tailpipe emissions of particulates, carbon monoxide and other pollutants worsen. Inspection programs catch those cars that no longer meet emission standards, and owners are required to fix the problem before they’re permitted back on the road. California and a number of other states have these “I/M” programs (for inspection and maintenance), and they have proved to be effective in reducing air pollution. Before implementing an auto inspection program in Hawai’i, “it would be appropriate to conduct a cost benefit analysis,” DOH testimony reads. Bruce Anderson, assistant health director, says the cost of installing the required inspection equipment at stations on all islands would be $6 million; before imposing such costs on taxpayers or drivers, he says, we should be sure that the benefit will be worth that cost. But who is to say what price clean air is worth? Cleaner air in parts of O’ahu might be worth several thousands of dollars a year to an asthmatic, even though most residents would probably grouse at the added expense of having their cars inspected. Yet the additional expense for emissions inspections would be trivial: if Anderson’s estimates are correct, that $6 million expense translates into less than $10 apiece for each of Hawai’i’s 670,877 registered passenger vehicles. More expensive would be the cost of replacing catalytic converters in older cars. Still, the cost of having cars in good repair should be regarded as part of the expense of owning a car. No less than good brakes or functional turn indicators, the parts of a car that reduce emissions are essential to protect public health and safety.
Volume 1, Number 1 July 1990