Q&A - Vehicle emissions reporting on base Published Jan. 15, 2014 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- On Jan. 27, Hill AFB military and civilian employees will be notified by e-mail to begin reporting emissions information annually on personal vehicles driven on the base. The e-mail will provide a link to the new Air Force web-based system called ECARS (Employee-Certification and Reporting System) and will include directions to complete the self-certification. The following questions and answers provide more information about ECARS. Q: What kind of information will I be required to enter into ECARS? A: ECARS will ask the following information: 1) Do you drive/park a personal vehicle on Hill AFB 60 days or more per year? If you answer "no," you will be redirected to sign AF Form 4434. If you answer "yes," you will be prompted to enter your vehicle type, make, model, year, primary fuel type, how many days per week you drive it on base, and whether your vehicle has a current emissions certificate, is exempt from emissions testing, or has failed or NOT had air emissions testing. If you have an emissions certificate, you will be required to enter the state, certificate authority, and expiration date of the emissions test. If you have a valid exemption, you will be prompted to select it from a list. If you do not have an emissions test or have failed testing, you will receive a follow-up e-mail from ECARS requiring that you obtain an emissions certificate within 30 days. All users will be prompted to electronically sign AF Form 4434 at the end of the certification process. Q: I live in a county that does not require an emissions test. Do I still have to get one done? A: Yes, if you are a federal employee, military or civilian, on Hill AFB and you drive your personal vehicle on the base at least 60 days per year, you will be required to have an emissions certificate for your vehicle, unless you meet one of the exemptions. Q: My vehicle is registered in a state that doesn't require emissions testing. Do I still need to get this done? A: Yes. While an employee, civilian or military, of Hill AFB who drives a personal vehicle on base at least 60 days per year, you will be required to obtain an emissions certificate. Q: When did this new policy go into effect? A: A guidance memo to Air Force Instruction 32-7040 was issued in July 2012. This memo established the Vehicle Self-Certification Program and mandates compliance with ECARS in areas of the country that struggle to meet air quality requirements. Approximately 60 Air Force bases are required to implement ECARS; Hill AFB is one of those and will begin implementation of ECARS this month. Q: Is the local union aware of this new requirement that is being levied on civilian workers? A: The Air Force coordinated the requirements of the Air Force Vehicle Self-Certification Program with the American Federation of Government Employees. A. Are there exclusions or exemptions to this new requirement? A: Yes. Contractors and retirees (who are not current federal employees) are excluded from using ECARS. Federal employees, military and civilian, on Hill AFB, who do NOT drive on base at least 60 days per year are still required to self-certify in ECARS, but are excused from supplying vehicle information including an emissions certificate. Federal employees driving on base at least 60 days per year will be excused from the emissions certificate requirement only if their vehicle meets one of the following exemptions: Diesel vehicles Electric vehicles Gasoline vehicles 2 model years old or newer Gasoline vehicles 1967 model year or older Hybrid vehicles Hydrogen vehicles Motorcycles Natural gas light-duty vehicles model year 2005 and newer Natural gas medium-duty vehicles model year 2008 and newer 1968 to 1980 model year vehicles with $250 repair waiver 1981 to 1995 model year vehicles with a $350 repair waiver 1996 and newer model year vehicles with a $450 repair waiver Vehicles registered as vintage, collectible, or classic Federal employees who drive at least 60 days or more per year, but who do not have an emissions certificate can still certify in ECARS, but will be required to obtain an emissions certificate and re-certify in ECARS within 30 days of the initial certification. Federal employees who commute to Hill AFB as part of a Utah Transit Authority Vanpool still need to self-certify in ECARS, but only on behalf of themselves and any personal vehicle(s) driven on base, not on behalf of the van itself. Q: How much does an emissions test cost and where can I get one done? A: Locally, Davis, Weber, Salt Lake and Utah counties all offer emission testing at many auto repair shops or garages. Average cost for the test is approximately $25, according to Utah's Motor Vehicle Division website, http://dmv.utah.gov/vehicles-services-menu/registration/safety-emissions-inspections#emission. The website says there is also an additional Emission Program Fee that each of the four counties charge. The fee varies from $1 to $3. Q: My vehicle is registered in a state that already requires emissions testing. Do I need to have another test done in Utah? A: A passed emission test from any Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) program in the United States will be accepted at Hill AFB. Q: How and when do I self-certify my commuter information in ECARS? A: Hill employees will first be notified to go into ECARS on Jan. 27 with an e-mail from no-reply@apims.af.mil, with a subject line of: "Action Required: vehicle emission testing self-certification is due within 30 days." Directions on accessing ECARS will be included in the e-mail. Q: What happens if I do not get an emissions test on my vehicle by Jan. 27? A: Employees will have 90 days after the Jan. 27 date to certify emissions data in ECARS. After the 90 days, commanders will be notified. Q: Is this a one-time requirement? A: No. Federal employees, military and civilian, on Hill AFB will be required to periodically re-certify their information in ECARS. Those employees who do NOT drive at least 60 days per year, or who do drive at least 60 days per year but have a valid exemption, will be prompted to re-certify their information annually. Employees required to enter emission certificate information in ECARS will be prompted to re-certify upon expiration of those certificates. ECARS will send notifications to employees when it is time to update their information. During this first year, employees could be notified to update their emissions data more than once. For example, if an employee enters their emissions data in ECARS in January and the emissions certificate expires in August, the employee will receive another e-mail from ECARS prior to August alerting the employee to update emissions data. Updating ECARS is an annual requirement. Q: I have multiple vehicles? Do I need to certify them all? A: While all federal employees, regardless of how often they commute, must certify their commuter status in ECARS, only vehicles driven on Hill AFB at least 60 days per year need to be entered in ECARS. Each car meeting the requirement must be certified separately. ECARS provides an option to add another vehicle. Q. I have questions about ECARS. Who do I contact? A. For more information locally about ECARS contact Glenn Palmer at (801) 775-6918, glenn.palmer.1@us.af.mil; Barbara Fisher at (801) 775-3652, barbara.fisher.1@us.af.mil; or Mark Kaschmitter at (801) 775-2359, mark.kaschmitter.ctr@us.af.mil.