HB 022 Vintage Vehicle Amendments

Short Description: Removes emissions testing requirements for older vehicles without adding meaningful use limits, mileage caps, or emissions safeguards, allowing some of the highest-emitting vehicles on Utah roads to continue operating unchecked.
Sponsor(s): Rep. Thurston
Impact: Negative
Bill Number: HB 022
Position: Oppose
Status: Passed
Past Hearings:
1/23 House Transportation

2/9 Senate Transportation
Floor Debates:
2/3 House 3rd Reading

2/12 Senate 2nd Reading

2/25 Senate 3rd Reading

2/26 House Concurrence

HB 022 Vintage Vehicle Amendments

This third substitute modestly shifts Utah’s emissions framework for older vehicles by replacing the vintage vehicle category with a new classic vehicle designation that generally preserves emissions exemptions for hobby vehicles, which could slightly increase allowable emissions from a small niche segment of the fleet. At the same time, the bill creates a clearer pathway for restored-modified vehicles to pass emissions inspections using newer engines and modern emissions technology, which may encourage cleaner retrofits. Because classic vehicles represent a very small share of total vehicle miles traveled and counties must still operate emissions programs consistent with federal Clean Air Act requirements, the overall air quality impact of the substitute is expected to be minor and largely neutral in practice. However, in areas with persistent ozone or PM₂.₅ challenges, even small incremental emissions increases can be sensitive in aggregate modeling. The bill’s air quality impact will ultimately depend on how many vehicles shift into the classic category, how frequently they are operated, and whether the restored-modified pathway successfully encourages cleaner engine conversions.

This bill sets to modernize terminology by replacing the "vintage vehicle" designation with "classic vehicle", however the bill removes emissions testing requirements for older vehicles without adding meaningful use limits, mileage caps, or emissions safeguards, allowing some of the highest emitting vehicles on Utah roads to continue operating unchecked. Older vehicles, especially pre-OBD and pre-Tier emissions standards emit disproportionately high levels of NOx and VOCs, key precursors to both PM2.5 and ground level ozone. This is especially relevant for Wasatch Front nonattainment areas and the Uinta Basin, where winter ozone formation is driven by NOx and VOC emissions. Emissions testing is one of the few policy tools that identifies and repairs or removes gross polluters from the fleet.

Under the current "vintage vehicle" law, at least some older vehicles were subject to emissions testing or collector specific insurance requirements, or mileage-limited exemptions. HB 22 removes those guardrails and replaces them with a simple signed safety statement, unrelated to emissions performance.

This bill perpetuates and potentially expands the use of uncontrolled vehicles as everyday transportation. By eliminating emissions testing requirements for older vehicles without limiting their use, HB 22 is likely to increase ozone-forming pollution in Utah and undermine efforts to improve air quality in regions already struggling to meet federal health standards.