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Some Ohio lawmakers, including Democrats, want to scrap E-Check

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (Statehouse News Bureau) — Car owners in northeast Ohio have been required to get their vehicles tested for emissions every two years since 1996. But now there’s bipartisan support for urging the state and federal government to get rid of that program, known as E-Check.

A row of cars parked at angles
[lumen-digital | shutterstock.com]
State Rep. Sean Brennan (D-Parma), a former Parma City Council member, is among the lawmakers signing a letter to Ohio’s Environmental Protection Agency, asking officials to consider ending E-Check.

“Even at the local level, it was one of the biggest complaints I got from the Parma residents,” Brennan said.

Brennan said it may have been well-intentioned, but there’s been no evidence that emissions have been reduced by the program. And Rep. Bill Roemer (R-Richfield) said drivers use about 600,000 gallons of gas each year just complying with the E-Check mandate. When asked if there’s any part of Ohio where E-Check would be appropriate, Brennan was emphatic about his opposition to the idea.

“I would not wish it on my worst enemy,” Brennan said.

Brennan said the $11 million the state spends on E-Check would be better spent on conservation education or public transit.