On February 16, the city council of the Chicago suburb of Waukegan, Illinois, passed the following resolution formally asking to be exempted from the new IM 240 test in favor of the older idle test, until the value of IM 240 testing is scientifically proven.
Whereas, there are widely reported difficulties with and lack of justification for the new IM 240 type of vehicle emissions testing method, which has greatly increased the burden on Waukegan vehicle owners;
Whereas, well-researched investigation of this type of testing in Canada has determined that the total is well in excess of $100 for each $1 of air quality improvement;
Whereas Congress requested in October 1997 that the effectiveness of I/M (vehicle emissions testing) programs be investigated by the prestigious National Academy of Science (NAS), founded in 1863;
Whereas, the NAS investigation was not started until January 1999, due to delays in release of authorized funding by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;
Whereas, there are numerous reports that the new testing program is not supported by independent, peer-reviewed research, hence the citizens of Waukegan are being subjected to a program with unproven value and which has been rejected by a number of states;
We request that the testing program return to the prior idle test method until the NAS has completed and reported its findings.
Now therefore be it resolved that the City Council of the City of Waukegan direct that the City Clerk be and is hereby directed to forward an embossed copy of this resolution to Governor George Ryan, State Senators Geo-Karis and Link, and Representatives Osborne and Garrett.
To date, the State of Illinois has rejected the Waukegan request.
