Trucks in the Chicago area would face both annual and random emissions tests under a new bill being drafted by state House speaker Michael Madigan.

In 1992, the state adopted regulations for diesel emissions, but a program to enforce those regulations was never developed. The state has been testing autos in the Chicago and St. Louis Metro East areas for several years.
The roughly 100,000 trucks registered in the Chicago area would be tested annually under the plan. Trucks registered elsewhere would still be subject to random checks at weigh stations or during state police traffic stops if they travel through the Chicago area.
Madigan is pushing the measure as part of a larger overhaul of the state’s transportation program, which also would address road repairs and license plates. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the bill apparently would exempt public buses.
The Illinois Transportation Assn. told the paper that Madigan’s plan is unreasonable.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown responded in an interview with RoadStar Radio News, “It’s not unreasonable in about 11 other states. It’s not unreasonable to test autos, which there are a lot more of. We think there’s a sense of fairness needed here, there’s some evidence on the books that diesel emissions contribute to health problems.”