TIM VANDENACK, Standard Examiner
A truck emitting black exhaust moves down Second Street in Ogden on July 26, 2019. Weber-Morgan’s health department has launched a program to help owners of cars that fail emissions tests to repair cars or obtain vehicles that comply with emission directives. .
OGDEN – Got a car that needs work to meet state and local pollution emission standards?
The Weber-Morgan Health Department may be able to help.
The department is hosting what it calls a clean car clinic on Friday to provide information to the public about a program designed to offer assistance in such situations, the Vehicle Repair and Replacement Assistance Program, or VRRAP. . The clinic runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and will be held at the Department of Health offices in Ogden at 477 23rd St.
“No appointments,” said Lori Buttars, the department spokeswoman. “Entrants will be required to demonstrate a ‘check engine’ light or a failed (emissions) test. We will check or recheck the vehicle.
Owners of older cars must have their emissions systems checked annually for new labels, a rule intended to keep smoke-emitting cars off the streets and blue skies. If their cars fail the test due to compromised systems, owners must first have the cars repaired, which for some can be a difficult and expensive proposition. Under the VRRAP program, however, some $1.22 million in total has been earmarked to help eligible residents who need financial assistance to meet emissions standards.
“To prove their financial eligibility, they can bring a tax return or a Social Security benefit letter,” Buttars said. “They must also bring with them their driving license or identity card and their current or most recent registration. We will have people on hand to help them complete the application and answer questions in English or Spanish.
Those who qualify can get vouchers of up to $6,875 to help cover the cost of buying a new car or up to $1,000 to help with repair costs. The program is for car owners in Weber and Box Elder counties.
The funds were provided through a five-year grant and “only a handful of people” have so far taken advantage of the VRRAP program in Weber and Box Elder counties, Buttars said.
According to the Weber-Morgan Health Department, automotive emissions are the primary source of air pollution in Salt Lake City’s Unreachable Zone, or SLCNA. The SLCNA covers Box Elder, Weber, Davis, Salt Lake, and Tooele counties, and the area is designated as such by the United States Environmental Protection Agency due to poor air quality.
For more information, call 801-399-7140. Information is also available at webermorganhealth.org/VRRAP.
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