Crystal Lake’s Emission Testing Station Makes the Cut

When nothing changes, is it news?

McHenry County residents can still get their cars testing for naughty emissions in Crystal Lake on Liberty Street, the road two streets south of Route 14 off South Main Street. Near Mike’s Service Center.

Locating that facility there was a major accomplishment when I served as state representative.

Of course, since I thought the program unneeded, I didn’t want any credit at the time.

But, with testing laws in place, illogical as they were (Crystal Lake and McHenry in; Huntley and Woodstock out), I figured it was better to have conveniently located to inconveniently located testing.

I asked for the emission testing station to be put in Crystal Lake and, glory be, it was.

Now, using the same building, the re-designed testing is going to cost state government less…much less.

The Illinois EPA is going to a new plug-in testing system in which exhaust is no longer captured and analyzed.

By just plugging into the on-board computer, the testing station folks will know if your car has problems.

The old cost worked out to about $21 per car. Under the new system, it will be $6.95.

The savings?

$27-29 million.

Impressive.

Fail and you can’t get your car’s license renewed.

While the station in Volo is being closed, there are more places to get tested in McHenry County than there were previously.

In a fit of good judgment, the private contractor that won the bid got agreement from the EPA to subcontract.

People can schedule appointments to have their vehicle tested at Meineke Car Care facilities in Crystal Lake, McHenry and Woodstock.

The privatized emission testing company has further privatized.

And miracle of miracles, my 1995 Cadillac is so old it is exempt from the new system. On-board computer not up to snuff, I guess.

The new contractor is “Applus+ Technologies (Applus), a local company headquartered in Chicago. Applus currently operates vehicle emissions test programs in the states of Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts and Washington,” the EPA newsletter my ex-wife Robin Geist used to help write.


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