Wisconsin emissions testing requirement; state lawmakers push to repeal

GREENDALE, Wis. - Wisconsin lawmakers and Milwaukee-area business leaders are urging Congress to support an end to the state’s vehicle emissions testing requirement.

Emissions testing debate

What we know:

Back on Dec. 2, 2025, State Rep. Bob Donovan (R-Greenfield) and 17 other state legislators sent a letter to Congress, urging lawmakers to support legislation repealing the vehicle inspection and maintenance program requirements under the Clean Air Act. Seven counties in southeast Wisconsin require the testing.

On Monday, March 30, State Rep. Donovan and Congressman Tim Tiffany (R-Minocqua), candidate for governor, talked about the reasons for this push. 

What they're saying:

"This is an issue that the residents and the driving public of southeastern Wisconsin has put up with for 40 years," Donovan said. "Science has advanced. Technology has advanced. Our engineering of vehicles has advanced. And it is literally less than 1%, is my understanding, of all the automobiles that somehow don't make the grade in this emissions testing…It's not getting the job done. And it's a burden on our residents and taxpayers."

"I think it goes back to a fundamental question. Why? Why are we continuing to do this 40 years later if it is simply ineffective?" Congressman Tiffany asked. "There's very few automobiles that fail these tests. But because of the regulation, they are required to do time-consuming test and expensive repairs. And it hits those people who are of lesser means the most."

"Every day, I deal with people with a 2006 Dodge minivan. They bring it in; they need a catalytic converter, $12-$1,500. They leave there with their check engine light off, on four bald tires and squealing breaks because they took their entire budget and used it to fix their car," said Matt Lepperd of L&M Automotive. 

"We get paid $2 dollars a car, just like everybody else. But the fact of the matter is, we get people here. They get a chance to see what we are and what we're about," said Jim Umbs, supervisor at Rick's Car Care in Mequon.

What's next:

Congressman Tiffany outlined the following steps he would take as governor in a news release:

• Pursue a federal waiver: Work directly with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to secure a waiver ending Wisconsin’s outdated emissions testing requirement. Tiffany noted his working relationship with EPA Director Lee Zeldin and his commitment to seeing the effort through.
• Address the real sources of pollution: Collaborate with federal officials and neighboring states, including Illinois and Indiana, to confront cross-state emissions that impact Wisconsin, particularly pollution originating from the Chicago area that travels north along Lake Michigan.

FOX6 News reached out to Gov. Tony Evers' officer to get his opinion on the issue. We have not heard back.