Vehicles in Centre County and 15 other counties may soon be required to pass emissions tests in addition to the current safety tests needed to pass inspection.

A civil court judge ruled last month that Pennsylvania violated the federal Clean Air Act when the state failed to incorporate tailpipe emissions tests into vehicle inspections in 1999. Jeanne Clark, spokeswoman for Citizens for Pennsylvania's Future (PennFuture), the group that filed the lawsuit, said she does not know what the outcome of the ruling will be.

"[The judge] ordered the state to sit down with us to develop a policy so there will be fewer emissions from mobile sources," Clark said. If PennFuture and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) do not reach an agreement by Feb. 28, each group will make a proposal and a judge will make the final ruling. An agreement between PennFuture and the state might not be reached because PennDOT could appeal the judge's ruling, said Joan Nissley, a PennDOT spokeswoman. Pennsylvania has a variety of options it could propose, from on-board diagnostic (OBD) testing, which only regulates newer cars, to a "cash for clunkers" deal like the one in California, where the state pays owners of "dirty" cars to keep them off the road, Clark said.

Karl Wagner, a senior technician at the Philadelphia regional office of the Pennsylvania Emissions Team, said plans and proposals are undecided for areas that do not have emissions testing yet. "We've proposed to have OBD as opposed to tailpipe testing, but it's up in the air as to what will be officially proposed," Wagner said.

Nissley said OBD testing, which is only available for vehicles made since 1996, is less expensive for stations than tailpipe testing. "It's a moving-forward proposal, because the vehicles in the commonwealth are getting newer," she said. gClark said PennFuture wants the same tailpipe emissions testing that is in place in the Philadelphia and Pittsburgh areas. "We're frankly open to anything as long as it results in cleaner air," she said. Wagner said the changes to the inspection process could go into effect as early as May. Even if a vehicle is registered in a county that does not require emissions testing, Wagner said it is a good idea to have it tested. Vehicles with high emissions may be pulled over by the police in areas where emissions tests are required, Wagner said.

"Chances of being picked up are good, but it's just a big inconvenience," he said, explaining that it is possible not get in trouble as long as the car is registered in a county that does not require testing. While the state decides what kind of action it will take, Jim Lohr, owner of Lohr's Garage, 1869 N. Atherton St., said his business looked into purchasing the equipment for tailpipe emissions tests when the state first proposed it a few years ago.

"It will add another phase to the inspection and another fee," Lohr said.

The additional fee will be between $25 and $50 to make up for the cost of the equipment that must be purchased, Lohr said. Each new tailpipe emissions machine costs about $50,000, Lohr said.

The testing will add about 45 minutes to the standard inspection process and could keep some vehicles from passing, Lohr said.