Source: CVDaily Feed
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CACHE COUNTY – By the narrowest of margins, the Cache County Council has voted in favor of an ordinance  that will implement an emissions testing program. The vote was four to three.

Those voting in favor of the program were Craig Petersen (a member of the Utah Air Quality board), Jon White, Gordon Zilles and Kathy Robison. Council Chairman Val Potter, Corey Yeates and Craig Buttars voted against the program.

White said it is time the county give up its fight against an emissions testing program and even if it only improves air quality by one or two percent that will help.

Those who voted against the proposal were most vocal Tuesday night.

Buttars said he has lived in Cache Valley all his life and believes the air is getting better, not worse. He said emissions testing would likely be expensive and also inconvenient.

“I do believe there are things we can do, that we need to do to improve the air but it is largely an episodic condition,” Buttars said. “We are not served well as a county, none of us are served well by statements that call Logan City or Cache County the little Beijing.”

Yeates said the issue has been bantered back and forth for a long time and really dislikes how the Environmental Protection Agency has forced the County’s hand.

“I’ll be honest, I think we’re pretty even, the comments I’ve received from people within my district,” Yeates said. “I still have some real concerns. I have a real beef with the EPA stepping in and strong-arming us.”

Additionally, Yeates said that he thinks the program won’t work.

“I think that implementing this program will not be a silver bullet. This is not going to clean our air.”

The vote came after the council heard from Deputy Cache County Attorney Denise Ciebien. She said failure to approve an emission  testing program could result in loss of highway funds and other sanctions.