New Jersey set to cut emissions testing for older vehicles

Just in time for the summer driving season, a new Christie administration policy will mean hundreds of thousands of drivers won’t have to line up at vehicle emissions stations across New Jersey.

Beginning May 1, passenger vehicles from 1995 and older will no longer have to submit to tailpipe emissions tests, a move the administration says will affect only 200,000 vehicles in state with 7 million. But the decision has angered some environmental groups who argue those are the “clunkers” most likely to add to pollution problems.

The change comes nearly six years after Gov. Chris Christie made New Jersey the 30th state to no longer inspect privately owned vehicles for mechanical defects.