After years of debate, Gary residents may soon see an end to the every-other-year vehicle emissions testing that’s long been required in Lake and Porter counties, thanks to a push state lawmakers are making to end it.
The policy, a holdover from decades-old federal air quality regulations, has disproportionately impacted working-class residents in Northwest Indiana. And in places like Gary, where reliable transportation is a lifeline to jobs, school, and health care, the burden has been especially heavy.
Now, that burden could finally be lifted. A new law, Senate Enrolled Act 103, directs the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to work with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to eliminate the emissions testing requirement by the end of the year. Gov. Mike Braun signed the measure during a ceremonial event last week in Crown Point.
Braun said it’s long overdue for the region to get attention from the state on this issue, calling it “a long time we’ve been trying to get to a better place.” He emphasized that Indiana would ensure Northwest Indiana isn’t overlooked: “We will make sure the state of Indiana is paying attention to this part of the state.”
Lake and Porter counties have been grouped with the Chicago metro area for federal air quality assessments. As a result, vehicles in Northwest Indiana are subject to the same emissions standards as those in a major urban center. However, state officials argue that conditions have changed and contend that the region should no longer be held to standards based on Chicago’s pollution levels.
“We’ve had a clean bill of health here in Lake County,” said state Sen. Lonnie Randolph, D-East Chicago. “The problem is we’re in the zone that includes Chicago. I’m very happy [the governor] took the time and energy to sign the bill here.”
For some Gary residents, emissions testing has been more than a minor inconvenience. The city’s only Clean Air Car Check station sits on Fourth Avenue, tucked behind industrial buildings near the edge of the city’s West Side. For those without flexible work schedules, reliable internet access to schedule appointments, or the extra cash to make last-minute repairs, passing the test can mean a day lost, a paycheck missed, or a car parked indefinitely.
Len Donald pulled into the Gary emissions testing site early one weekday morning in his silver Chevrolet Cobalt, one arm hanging out the window as he waited for the gates to lift. When he heard about a new state law that could cut back how often drivers have to get their vehicles tested, he didn’t hesitate.
“I’ll be glad if I don’t have to do this [crap] so much,” he said. “We already have to pay so much bread just to re-register our cars. … They’re charging us for everything. This is just another thing we have to do. I just want to drive my car, man.”
Lake County Council President Christine Cid said the burden is heaviest on families with the fewest resources.
“Emissions testing causes a financial burden on our residents, especially those living in poverty who do not have the funds to repair their car to pass emissions,” she said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, currently 36% of Gary residents live in poverty.
IDEM says it’s exploring multiple strategies, including proving that local cars aren’t the main driver of air quality problems and trying to remove Lake and Porter from the Chicago-area monitoring zone. The agency is also reviewing federal rules that could require continued testing even if the region meets current clean air standards.
“I’m really excited about this bill. It involved a lot of work and negotiation,” said IDEM Commissioner Clint Woods. “The requirements can sometimes be a pain and create costs with not all that much environmental improvement.”
The state spends about $6 million a year to operate seven Clean Air Car Check stations across Northwest Indiana, including sites in Gary, Hammond, Crown Point, and Valparaiso. Yet many question in this corner of the state question why they alone must bear the cost of testing.
Efforts to challenge the mandate in court have failed before. In 2021, the Lake County Council filed a lawsuit arguing that the policy violated the Indiana Constitution by applying only to two counties. But a local judge ruled that federal air quality rules override state law, even if they’re unpopular.
This year, a bipartisan group of lawmakers from Northwest Indiana came together to move the new legislation through the General Assembly. While the law doesn’t immediately end testing, it does commit the state to doing everything it can to make that happen and potentially lift a long-standing burden from thousands of residents across the region.
In Gary, car ownership is often a necessity in the absence of a robust public transit system. Travel time to work in Gary hovers around the national average at 25 minutes per commute, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. For residents, the end of emissions testing would mean more than a bureaucratic change; it would be one less barrier to economic mobility.