Texans spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year on vehicle emissions testing, despite 95% of vehicles passing on the first try and air quality continuing to improve. The program is now expanding to Bexar County, adding hundreds of thousands more drivers to the costly and time-consuming system.

The paper argues emissions testing has become a costly burden on both Texans’ wallets and their liberty. It recommends Texas pursue EPA-approved exemptions, including exempting vehicles eight years old or newer from testing requirements, to save Texans time and money while maintaining compliance with federal law.