Massachusetts’ environmental officials have ordered the contractor of faulty emissions testing equipment to replace the equipment at no cost to motorists, the Boston Globe reported last week. An audit conducted by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found that the test failed 39 percent of the time. The audit faulted the equipment used to collect and measure auto exhaust. The contractor, Agbar Technologies, Inc., will replace the equipment at all inspection stations throughout the state over the next nine months, according to the state DEP. The so-called Enhanced Emissions and Safety Test program was mandated in 1999 by the state and resulted in an increase in inspection sticker fees from $15 to $29. In the meantime, Massachusetts motorists will continue to pay the full $29 price for the safety inspection and tailpipe test, even though their emissions tests, which ordinarily are conducted every other year, may be delayed a year, the Globe reported.
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