DeWine starts the process to end Northeast Ohio E-Check

A federal mandate began requiring vehicle emissions testing in the Cleveland region in the late 1980s.

Ohio launched the E-Check program in 1996.

E-Check requires emissions tests every two years for certain vehicles.

E-Check is active in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, Lorain, Medina, Portage, and Summit counties.

The federal ozone standard used for this designation was set in 2015.

The Cleveland area was designated nonattainment for ozone in 2018.

Nitrogen oxide emissions in the area fell by about 42 percent, and volatile organic compounds by about 25 percent.

In June, the U.S. EPA redesignated the Cleveland region as meeting the federal ozone standard.

The Cleveland area is now designated in attainment for all federal air quality standards.

The announcement was datelined Cleveland.

Gov. Mike DeWine directed Ohio EPA to begin the process of ending E-Check in Northeast Ohio.

Gov. Mike DeWine said decades of pollution cuts mean he no longer believes E-Check is needed to meet federal air standards in Northeast Ohio.

Ohio EPA Director John Logue said the agency has worked for decades with communities and businesses to improve air quality.

Logue said Ohio EPA is ready for the next steps now that the region meets federal standards, while working to keep those gains.

E-Check cannot end until the U.S. EPA approves.

Ohio EPA will invite the public to comment on the proposal to end E-Check.

A public meeting on the proposal is planned for November.

After public comments, Ohio EPA plans to send its request to the U.S. EPA before the end of the year.

Ohio must keep running E-Check until the federal government approves an end to the program.