Car emissions testing in the USVI..

Another money grab by our nearly bankrupt government. They have a similar program in Ontario, Canada where I once lived for many years. One could easily get a pass by slipping the technician a small bribe of $20 or so. I suspect exactly the same thing will occur here given the way the BMV and government currently works.

De Jonge must have a contest going on with department heads to see who can come up with the most lucrative cash grab. So far it looks like May Cornwall of VIWMA is winning.

Tens of thousands of cars on STX, spewing pollution out every day, but still the populace believes that only HOVENSA causes cancer.
But try to reduce the cancer causing agents from car exhaust and everyone becomes a cry baby.

The American Lung Association's "State of the Air" report for 2013 concluded that living or working 0.2 to 0.3 miles from a highway or road is more dangerous than people have been lead to believe. The ALA also says that as many as 35 to 40 percent of the North American population lives next to a "busy road."
In 2010, the Health Effects Institute published a paper on the work of a panel of scientists who had done an extensive review of 700 studies from around the world on the adverse health effects of traffic pollution.
After examination of the studies, it was concluded that traffic pollution caused asthma in children, impaired lung function, death from cardiovascular disease and COPD. For people with impaired breathing, the prolonged effects from constant breathing of polluted air can lead to early death. One study even found that just driving or taking public transportation daily could put you at increased risk of respiratory illness or heart disease.

Read more: http://digitaljournal.com/article/361634#ixzz30xz9sRrI

I hope nothing like this comes to pass, completely un-needed in this area.

every program like htis I have seen has become a money grab and thats IT, plus it really doesn't do anything a good running car doesn't do on its own, I could pass tail sniffer tests with FLYING colors on cars with zero emmisions equipment, they ran more efficently, got better MPG (and more power).

did it for years in alaska,

but hey, we probably need yet one more thing that will involve bribes and "looking the other way" right?

So it's OK for a car to spew carcinogens into our air, but it's not OK for industry to do the same?

So it's OK for a car to spew carcinogens into our air, but it's not OK for industry to do the same?

Well, there is a difference in scale between peeing in the ocean when you take a dip, and pumping out an untreated sewerage treatment plant.

Most modern cars have adequate pollution controls that don't require annual monitoring. Older/unmaintained vehicles can pollute, but adding another bureaucratic program into the hands of our less than trusted government authorities isn't necessarily the best solution.

I'm still surprised that the islands still do vehicle inspections at all. Florida stopped doing it 30 years ago.

Cash grab...plain and simple.

Seeing the number of jalopies on the road without tail lights, registration stickers and other significant deficiencies, one would wonder if there is any degree of enforcement or inspection at all in the VI. And, since there is no direct connection between insurance companies and the BMV, anyone with a printer can make their own proof of insurance slip (and apparently many do). Taking it one step further, it wouldn't be hard to make those window stickers either, thus avoiding the cost and bother of going to the BMV at all. If they keep adding new fees (especially VIWMA's proposed annual vehicle tax) to the process, people will opt out in greater numbers. Besides, most cars will be electric in 20 years anyway so why bother starting an emissions testing regime now? I agree with vicanuck, its just a money grab by a desperate government.

I'm not seeing (ALL) cars being electric in 20 years. I know that is the hope of global theorist, but unless they can come up with a battery sufficient enough to allow drivers to drive 500+ miles without a charge, or be able to charge a battery in seconds instead of hours. It ain't going to happen. Even if they could come up with something viable, it would take decades to make the switch for everyone . But then what do you do with all the cars there are NOW. The best immediate solution would be to limit the amount of cars for each residence and put a cap on the amount of fuel each residence is allowed to use per-month. But then this will create another problem like jobs being cut like the tourest industry. People will have to access what will be important to them. People aren't willing to give up their freedom yet. It's always easier when someone else makes the sacrafice.

Battery technology is advancing as fast as microchip technology these days. I'm sure they'll overcome those issues very quickly. But limiting how many cars each residence can have or rationing fuel on a monthly basis? You're kidding right?

No, I'm not kidding. Wait until you get a load of the Presidents new global warming initiative. I hope you are right about the batteries, but right now, I ain't seeing it.

The best immediate solution would be to limit the amount of cars for each residence and put a cap on the amount of fuel each residence is allowed to use per-month.

It's always easier when someone else makes the sacrafice.

Says the guys living on a small island...

Battery technology is advancing as fast as microchip technology these days.

Unfortunately it's not, battery technology is pretty much static, there are a lot of new discoveries; but what they will actually come to, or if htey even become commercially available.

I've got some of the most advanced batteries avalible on my motorcycle (electrocycle?) and even they are just very advanced configuration of a lithium iron phosphate battery. Lithium batteries were invented in 1912.

however, there's a lot of R&D in the battery field, hopefully something will come soon.

not all of florida, i know pinellas county did it back in 1999. monroe county did not do it just a few years later.

The link I've attached is more of an investment piece but it certainly foretells what the future holds for electric vehicles and battery technology in general. It takes about an hour to watch the whole thing but I found it very interesting. Enjoy...

http://pro.moneymappress.com/NVXTESLAMMP19/PNVXQ505/?h=true

Wow. Tesla is really going in big on battery technology. I had heard about the new plant they're building to produce lithium ion batteries but didn't realize what a game-changer it will be.