Photo by Nati Harnik/AP Vermonters don’t drive rust buckets for no reason. When people are avoiding a $200 repair on their car, it’s because they don’t have $200 to spare, Sen. Andrew Perchlik, D/P-Washington, said Wednesday in the Senate Transportation Committee.  He’s among the law makers considering a bill, S.211, that would allow Vermonters to get their vehicles inspected every other year instead of annually. Some senators hope the change could make the inspection requirements easier on low-income Vermonters.  At some repair shops, car inspections cost $75, while at others they cost $50.  “What’s happening now is they’re being penalized financially much more than any benefit from the safety inspection,” Perchlik said.  But most of Vermont’s air pollution comes from motor vehicles — and vehicle inspections offer a way for the state to keep a close eye on their emissions.  “We do expect that the change to a biennial inspection would increase air pollution in Vermont,” said Rachel Stevens, general counsel for the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation. Less frequent inspections could allow cars with malfunctioning parts to go without repairs for longer, Stevens said.  Sen. Becca White, D-Windsor, disagreed.  Most of the time, people know when their car needs a repair — but they drive a broken car because either they can’t afford to fix it, they can’t afford time without their car or because they’re far away from a repair shop, she said.  Still, Stevens said that if senators want to change the law, they’ll have to make sure they’re keeping state emissions in check.  Vermont sets its emission standards in an attempt to comply with the federal Clean Air Act. But  federal regulators have to greenlight state plans, and Vermont’s state plan for addressing air quality pollution has never met federal guidelines despite the state’s continued efforts, she said.  Perchlik said that it felt silly to hold back a state law out of concern that it would make Vermont out of compliance with federal regulations when the state already is not in compliance.  In turn, Stevens said it’s important not to set the state further back. Federal regulators will likely be re-evaluating the state’s plan for compliance soon, according to Stevens. “They’ve signaled to us that we’re their highest priority,” she said.   Lawmakers in New Hampshire went a little off the deep end last summer and voted to end the state’s vehicle inspection program altogether. But a judge intervened last month before the law was set to go into effect, ruling the state’s inspection program must continue until federal regulators approve its new emission plan. — Charlotte Oliver In the know Vermont is getting new Amtrak trains. The national passenger rail company plans to roll out new, more modern sets of locomotives and cars across many of its routes in the coming years, Damien Leonard, an attorney with the Office of Legislative Counsel, told the House Transportation Committee Wednesday. That includes on Vermont’s two Amtrak lines, Leonard said — likely coming as soon as 2029. Those routes are the Vermonter, which runs between St. Albans and Washington, D.C., and the Ethan Allen Express, which travels from Burlington to New York City and back.  The new Airo trains are expected to save riders on the Vermonter some 20 to 25 minutes per trip. That’s because the current, decades-old locomotives used on that line run only on diesel; but when trains get to Connecticut, they must switch to locomotives that run on electricity, Leonard explained. The new locomotives will be able to get power from both sources, he said, cutting out time needed for the changeover. House Transportation was talking trains Wednesday because Amtrak has asked the panel’s chair, and the chair of Senate Transportation, to draft a letter supporting its request for federal funding to buy additional sets of Airo trains, beyond those already planned to roll out in Vermont and elsewhere. The extra rolling stock, Amtrak said, would limit service disruptions and give it more flexibility.  Both chairs — Rep. Matt Walker, R-Swanton, and Sen. Richie Westman, R-Lamoille, said Wednesday they plan to send the letter as asked. — Shaun Robinson News about the news The Vermont Journalism Coalition, a new advocacy organization advancing the interests of local news outlets, gathered in the Cedar Creek Room Wednesday, celebrating the winners of the Vermont Community Foundation’s local civic journalism awards. The award was administered by the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office.  Sixteen news organizations received grants, funds for which were appropriated by the state in this year’s budget and matched by Press Forward Vermont.  Paul Fixx, editor of the Hardwick Gazette, said the news organizations would use the grants to pay Vermonters to contribute to their papers, making the awards an even more crucial investment in the state.  “However you slice these awards, a significant portion of them keeps Vermonters working in a business where we hold our government and businesses’ feet to the fire,” he said, “and I think that’s a really important piece of what we’re doing.” (VTDigger is a member of the coalition but did not receive an award.) — Ethan Weinstein Lawmakers are considering making my job easier.  H.572 would permit public access to electronic criminal case records.  Currently, the public can access criminal records in-person at a courthouse or by communicating with a court clerk but cannot view the records online from anywhere else, such as on a mobile device, or from a home or office computer.  Rep. Martin LaLonde, D-South Burlington, the House Judiciary Committee chair, said he was inspired to introduce the bill after hearing about the concept from the New England First Amendment Coalition and the Vermont Journalism Coalition. “Ironically, access to criminal court records has become a little more difficult after the technological advances that should make access and retrieval of documents easier,” John Flowers, who’s worked for the Addison Independent for more than 30 years, told the committee.  — Ethan Weinstein Read the story on VTDigger here: Will Vermonters be able to get their cars inspected every other year? . ...read more read less