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Keep Auto Emissions Testing Facility In City, Lawmakers Tell State EPA

By Ted Cox | October 26, 2016 9:31am
 Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is leading calls by local legislators to keep a Chicago auto-emission test site open.
Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is leading calls by local legislators to keep a Chicago auto-emission test site open.
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DNAinfo/Quinn Ford

CHICAGO — State legislators are calling on the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency to keep at least one auto emissions test site open in Chicago.

The state on Tuesday is closing the only Chicago test sites in Bucktown at 1850 W. Webster Ave. and in Dunning at 6959 W. Forest Preserve Drive.

Nine Chicago state legislators this week fired off a letter to Illinois EPA Director Alec Messina calling for "a vehicle emissions testing site to be placed in the city."

While granting that streamlining the testing process could save $8 million, the letter added, "The closure of all sites in Chicago will negatively impact millions of city residents."

The letter pointed out that, by forcing North Side drivers to go to Skokie to have their cars tested, the Illinois EPA would actually be increasing auto emissions, "in direct contrast to the purpose of the agency's directive."

The legislators asked the EPA to "add a minimum of one testing station in Chicago, preferably more."

The nine Democratic legislators were Senate President John Cullerton and his colleague Sen. Heather Steans, as well as state Representatives Ann Williams, Sara Feigenholtz, Will Guzzardi, Kelly Cassidy, Jaime Andrade, Barbara Flynn Currie and Sonya Harper.

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