iCollege is a podcast on the intersection of human culture and engagement with the law. Podcasted panel discussions with lawyers and other professionals from a variety of fields, addressing law and regulation in sometimes unexpected realms, and always through the lens of human culture.
How might an alien intelligence observe and react to California emissions regulations for vehicles from other states? What if this intelligence were not only able to view all the regulations and past violations, but also actively test the laws for conformity? Given the number of automobiles on the roadways, this intelligence would have ample opportunity. Tune in to hear more about the question of how to treat California emissions laws for out of state vehicles, and the much more interesting question of how much further afield, literally, they might have gone in seeking answers. California emissions laws for out of state vehicles have been a source of conflict for many, both within California and outside of its borders. In order to understand these conflict, we must first understand the hoop that a vehicle must jump through to enter California roads legally. If a vehicle is originally manufactured to meet California emissions standards, it can legally enter the state without any special permits. In short, it has a sticker to prove its compliance with California emissions standards. If the vehicle is not made to meet those standards, however, things become complicated very rapidly. California emissions laws for out of state vehicles will likely cause no end of grief to non-compliant vehicles. These will be pulled over much more frequently, often for no reason other than that they are non-compliant. What happens when a vehicle gets pulled over? What, in fact, even qualifies as a non-compliant vehicle? The subject is far more complex than one might think. To begin with, one needs to understand California emissions standards, which are notoriously stringent. They are perhaps some of the most stringent in the world, second only to what one might find in some places in Northern Europe. This means that a given car in Georgia might not meet California emissions standards. For instance, even if a car was originally manufactured to meet European emissions standards (which would stand it in good stead in California), the car would still have to pass an emissions test when entering the state – and this means passing a stricter emissions test at that. On top of all of this, there is yet another layer that vehicles must negotiate to arrive in California. There are, very simply, far more non-compliant vehicles on the road than there are compliant ones. This, it would appear, would present a problem. How can California emissions laws for out of state vehicles be enforced in such a manner that the mere existence of non-compliant vehicles on the road does not result in the instant failure of the environment? After all, enough vehicles are burning fossil fuels that the air is not exactly perfectly clean anyway. The answer is that, yes, there are a lot of non-compliant vehicles on the road, but the emissions laws are set up in a way that keeps the net amount of environmental impact minimal. Here is how: What this means in practice is that, as long as the traffic is moving, a non-compliant vehicle is almost free to travel along the roads of California. But once traffic becomes stationary? Well, then that may be an issue. Let us say that there is an accident on I-5. Well, as traffic in California generally moves quite fast, this would likely be an unusual event. I-5 may come to a standstill unless it is a major accident, but there is one thing we can assume: cars will be going very slowly, if at all. And if you notice slow traffic on I-5, well, you can assume at that point that there has been an accident. But where did that accident take place? And is it anywhere where the traffic will be placid for several minutes at best? That is the beauty of California emissions laws for out of state vehicles. Even when traffic is moving very slowly, a non-compliant vehicle can often move through California with no trouble whatsoever. When traffic does cease, however, and begins to build up on California highways and byways, then it is time to act.