New state standards for automobiles will require some Penn State students to journey back to their home county in order to make their cars legal.

By this summer, 25 counties in Pennsylvania will have phased into the state's new vehicle emissions inspection, which was implemented on Dec. 1 by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDot) and the Department of Environmental Protection.

These regions, including Centre County and counties in the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia areas, are currently gearing up for the updated inspections.

"The counties required to participate by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) were chosen due to their population density and air quality," PennDot spokeswoman Joan Nissley said.

Motorists must abide by rules in the county in which their vehicles are registered. For example, if a student living in Centre County owns a car registered in the Philadelphia area, the car must be inspected at a garage in Philadelphia.

Cars registered in counties exempt from this new law do not need to be inspected for the new emissions diagnostics, regardless of where the car currently resides.

Vehicles affected by these new regulations are most gas-powered passenger cars or light trucks under 9,000 pounds and newer than 1975. The inspections themselves are not comprehensive and consist of only two main checks, including a gas-cap quality test.

If vehicles fail to pass the newly instituted inspections, they have 30 days to make the necessary repairs. Their re-inspection is free of charge.

These new emissions inspections can vary widely in cost. Because this is a fledgling endeavor, the state has not imposed any price caps on mechanics. This means the cost varies widely from garage to garage.

"Drivers should shop around for the best site," Nissley said.

Bob Young, service director at Stocker Chevrolet Inc., 701 Benner Pike, said their rates would be $35.

"We're ready, but it was pretty expensive. All our technicians had to sign with PennDot, pay $50 and pass the test. I have 12 mechanics, so it was expensive," Young said.

Many area drivers are feeling this more as an unnecessary nuisance than an environmental boon.

"A lot of people are ticked off about these new laws," Young said.

Some Penn State students are frustrated with the new policy, because it means they will have to return home during the semester to get their car inspected.

"It sounds like the state is just trying to give the dog a bone. It sounds silly," Philadelphia resident Daniel Bell (sophomore-elementary education) said. "If you don't already have a good gas cap, you get a new one because you are losing fuel and money."

Pennsylvania is not the first state to have these emissions inspections. Numerous other states have implemented similar and stricter policies regarding vehicles. Even so, environmentalists and state departments see this as a victory for nature.

"Obviously if vehicles run cleaner, they pollute less. In the end, it benefits all Pennsylvanians," Nissley said.