Arizona, invent us out of emissions testing

By Stephen Richer and Josh Heywood

Originally published in the Arizona Republic · October 16, 2026

With the highly consequential midterm elections less than three weeks away, it’s time to get down to brass tacks; it’s time to tackle the big issues.

Emissions testing.

Every year, approximately two million Arizonans drive to an emissions testing station designated by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ).  Get a ticket. Wait. Hope that your car isn’t still angry about the curb you hit last week. Or wonder why the heck your 2021 BMW has to be tested.

It’s a bit silly for most Arizonans. According to a 2023 report, 10 percent of Arizona vehicles accounted for 78 percent of measured carbon monoxide emissions and 70 percent of nitric oxide emissions.

So can we somehow liberate Arizonans from this periodic ugh-inducing ritual?Love crosswords? Explore the Crossword page and play the new MidGrid Crossword.

Witness Colorado.

Colorado uses roadside sensors to measure exhaust as cars drive by on normal roads. Drivers don’t have to visit an emissions-testing site; they don’t wait in line; they don’t even have to get out of the car. In 2025, more than 227,000 Coloradans used this option. The state estimates that the technology saves Colorado $18 million every year in driver convenience costs.

The technology Colorado uses isn’t particularly fancy or cutting-edge. The state implemented RapidScreen in 2004, and Virginia started offering a similar option called RAPIDPASS over a decade ago.

As it turns out, Arizona has already tried it.

In 2019, state lawmakers authorized a pilot program to test the drive-by approach. After three years of testing, ADEQ issued its report in June 2025. It found remote sensing to be “a reliable emissions technology and a viable alternative to the current testing methods.”

Read the full piece at the Arizona Republic →

Go deeper: see our fact page on why Arizona’s growth matters.