SACRAMENTO – The formal start-up today of the Smog Check II program is a major milestone in California's ongoing efforts to reduce air pollution, California Air Resources Board (ARB) Chairman John D. Dunlap said.

        "Californians will not have clean air to breathe unless motor vehicles are maintained in proper condition," Dunlap said, "Smog Check II will provide for better identification of high polluting vehicles that produce a disproportionate amount of our state's smog. It is an indispensable part of California's overall clean-air program."

        Smog Check II is expected to provide about 25 percent of the total smog-reduction benefits from all state and local air-quality requirements in the state's smoggiest regions during the next two years, Dunlap said. The ARB and the Department of Consumer Affairs, which operates the Smog Check program, worked closely with Governor Pete Wilson, the state Legislature, the state's automotive repair industry and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to ensure that the enhanced Smog Check program remains sensitive to the needs of motorists.