Emissions testing coming to Larimer, Weld counties

GREELEY — The Colorado Air Quality Control Commission decided Thursday to expand mandatory vehicle emissions testing to Larimer and Weld counties later this year.

The program, already in place in the Denver metro area, tests for ground-level ozone. The ruling means that after Nov. 1, cars and trucks owned by residents of the most populous portion of the two counties — including Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor and Greeley — would have to pass the emissions test. The testing is expected to cost about $25 every two years, plus any required repairs up to $800.

The state Legislature mandated the expansion of the program into Northern Colorado after the federal Environmental Protection Agency found parts of the Front Range not in compliance with its ozone standards.

The commission met at the Island Grove Regional Park Events Center and heard testimony from Weld County officials and others urging them to exclude the county or at least delay implementation until 2013.

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