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The USEPA and the Fairness Doctrine

 Thomas Crane

     There is a code of ethics that says that each person is held accountable for his or her own actions or in some cases, inaction.  In terms of the Automobile Emissions Testing Program that has been enacted by the various States in accordance with the mandates as directed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a third party comes into play, and that is the automobile mechanic.  Casting aside all of the guidelines that the EPA has established, such as waivers based upon the number of attempts to pass the emissions test and the limitations on the cost of repairs,  the ultimate fate of the automobile is that it eventually must be discarded or, in other words, be directed to the junk heap, should said automobile be declared by the State to be a "Gross Polluter."   The question then becomes one of fairness where the owner/operator is concerned.

        Due to the technological sophistication of today's automobiles, people have become dependent upon those who service their automobiles, especially when it comes to pollution controls.  The average owner can readily recognize the need for replacement or repair of tires, brakes, exhaust systems and etc. that are necessary for the owner/operator to drive safely and economically.  Unfortunately, when it comes to pollution controls and the ability to adjust or repair them, the individual is at the mercy of what we all would like to think of as the "trained mechanic."  When you factor in the complexity of the Auto Emissions Testing Procedure, the owner/operator suffers a double whammy.  In either case, the owner/operator is confounded by the complexities inherent in the pollution control process.  What is usually foremost in everyone's mind is how to correct the problem with the least amount of expense.  The end result is that the person involved must throw himself upon the mercy of the automotive mechanic, so to speak.

      To add insult to injury,  the owner/operator can, through either ignorance or design, ignore the substance of the charges that have been leveled against his or her automobile and be charged with a criminal act for simply driving to the store in order to buy a loaf of bread.  Woe to those who that break the EPA mandates, as the wrath of the State will descend upon them.   In other words, the fate of every man and woman can literally rest on the "turn of a screw."   Is this fair when it might have been someone else who might have turned the screw?   

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