New vehicles get a break in new pollution rules

Colorado air quality regulators have announced a rule change for the Front Range that would allow most new vehicles to go seven years before getting pollution tests, instead of four years under the current requirements.

The state Air Quality Control Commission said Thursday the changes won’t go into effect until 2015 to allow time to get required approvals from lawmakers and the federal Environmental Protection Agency.

Testing would still be required every two years once the new-vehicle exemption expires. But another change would allow the first two tests to use a vehicle’s onboard diagnostics system instead of the treadmill currently used.

The commission says air quality won’t suffer because of the changes.

It estimates the changes will save vehicle owners a combined $2 million to $8 million a year.