The prospect of mandatory motor vehicle emission testing has caught Kootenai County officials by surprise.
Idaho Gov. C.L. ``Butch'' Otter signed a bill this week to require the tests in metropolitan areas where air pollution is approaching federal limits. Most of the attention was focused on Canyon County, near Boise, but it also could apply to Coeur d'Alene and other towns just east of Spokane, Wash.
Otter says the legislation could use some tweaks. He has asked the Legislature to give counties more flexibility in considering alternatives next year.
Jeff Selle of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization says his group was blindsided by the measure, and he hopes the governor's proposal will be adopted.