East Tennessee vehicle inspections not required

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not require vehicle inspections in the seven-county region, but it will require a clampdown on air-pollution control permits that could make it difficult to recruit new industry, said Lynne Liddington, executive director of the county’s Air Quality Management Office.

Liddington said the region was not found to be out of compliance enough with new, tougher, clean-air standards to require vehicle inspections.

The EPA announced Thursday that all of Tennessee’s largest metropolitan areas — Chattanooga, Clarksville, Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville and the Tri-Cities — failed to meet the new standards.

Tennessee and local officials have three years to develop a plan to clean up the air.

“We need to be aggressive,” said longtime Knox County Commissioner Wanda Moody.

Beginning June 15, the air-quality office will not issue air-pollution control permits that would allow an increase of air pollution, Liddington said. The permits could be issued only if offsetting reductions in air pollution are made elsewhere by the applicant.

Liddington said the county will continue recruiting nonpolluting businesses and industries.

“The chamber (Knox Area Chamber Partnership) is well aware of what’s going on, and I’m happy we’re all on the same page. We want to do this (compliance) as quickly as we can,” she said.

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Information from: The Knoxville News Sentinel, http://www.knoxnews.com