The general assembly finds and declares that:

(1)  Exhaust emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines used in trucks and buses traveling within Rhode Island contribute significantly to air pollution within the state;

(2)  Heavy-duty diesel engines in a poor state of repair emit higher levels of pollution than engines that are well maintained;

(3)  Citizens of Rhode Island frequently raise concerns about emissions from heavy-duty diesel engines;

(4)  These emissions diminish the quality of life and health of our citizens;

(5)  Technology exists to determine the level of exhaust emissions from heavy-duty vehicles;

(6)  Maintenance and repair procedures are available that can readily be employed to correct unacceptable exhaust emissions;

(7)  Rhode Island is a party to a memorandum of understanding among states of the northeast United States in which each state agreed to use its best efforts to implement heavy-duty diesel testing programs consistent with the elements of the memorandum of understanding; and

(8)  It is in the public interest to establish a program regulating exhaust emissions from heavy-duty diesel trucks and buses traveling within Rhode Island.