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Welcome to the AirCare news release archive. The AirCare program regularly sends press releases to keep our stakeholders, the media and the public up-to-date on general AirCare information.
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Clean Air Heroes
(Apr-02-2004)
NOTE: An edited version of this release appeared in the March 31, 2004 Langley Times in response to a previous editorial that questioned AirCare\'s contribution to improved air quality in the region.
AirCare’s goal is to identify vehicles that are emitting excessively due to a repairable engine or emission control system defect. Since AirCare began in 1992, more than 600,000 vehicles have failed AirCare at least once. After proper repairs, most of these vehicles continue to pass year after year. If the program had not pointed out the existence of a problem, it is likely these vehicles would have continued to pollute needlessly and, maybe even deteriorate further.
Identifying and successfully repairing excess polluting vehicles has resulted in significant reductions in vehicle-generated emissions, which can be directly attributed to the AirCare program. However, AirCare has never claimed that it, “single-handedly cleaned up the air in this region”. In fact, AirCare recognizes the role of new vehicle technology in the reductions of vehicle-generated pollutants that have occurred in the past 12 years. The report titled “AirCare – Results and Observations in 2001 and 2002” (available here) points to a 66% reduction in total emissions from light-duty vehicles since 1992. Of this amount, about half is attributed to new vehicle technology and the other half to AirCare-related repairs (31% new technology, 35% AirCare). These improvements represent almost 900,000 tonnes of pollutants to which GVRD and FVRD residents were not subjected.
Solving air quality issues is a complex matter and it is easy to point the finger of blame at someone or something else (i.e. big trucks, buses, planes, trains, ships) but the fact remains that the Lower Fraser Valley has over 1.2 million light duty vehicles operating within a confined geographic region. No matter how good new vehicle technology gets, there will always be a point at which the effects of age and mileage will cause deterioration in emissions output. Every year AirCare identifies about 100,000 vehicles operating well above their engine performance standards, and requires they be repaired prior to re-licensing.
While there will be a review of the future of AirCare that looks in part at the air quality returns from continuing vehicle emissions testing in the region, the history of the program clearly shows the beneficial impact it has had on the air we breathe – that makes all of us “clean air heroes”.
For more information, contact
Peter Hill
Manager, Program Policy
AirCare
604.453.5167
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