The Anchorage Assembly voted Tuesday night to end the city’s I/M testing program.
The vote was 6 to 5 in favor of granting the Sullivan administration the authority to discontinue emissions testing for vehicles.
The E.P.A. said the city could end the I/M program in February, with the city having an additional six month grace period if it wanted it.
Mayor Dan Sullivan said recently that he wants to end the program on March 1st.
Business owners who perform the tests testified that they were promised by the Assembly that a six-month extension would be granted if the city ever decided to end the program, to give them time to ease the transition for employees who conduct the tests.Rich Cline, owner Cline's Tesoro, said “you promised us, the I/M industry, that we would have the six months. You should honor your vote, you should honor what you told us.”
Other residents testified that is wasn’t fair to continue to charge vehicle owners for a program that federal officials say can be ended at the local government’s discretion.
