ECARS emails coming Feb. 11

  • Published
  • By 412th Civi Engineering Dirctorate
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The Employee-vehicle Certification and Reporting System is scheduled to be activated Feb. 11. Shortly after system activation, all Air Force employees, both civilian (contractors are exempt) and military, can expect to receive an email from the following sender: no-reply@apims.af.mil. The email subject line will read, "Action Required: personal vehicle emissions testing self-certification is due within 30 days."

All federal employees who receive this email are required to click on the link to ECARS that will be embedded in the email and use the system to certify that they are either not a commuter or that the vehicle(s) they drive onto the installation are compliant with local air emissions testing requirements.

For your reference, please review the 412th Test Wing ECARS Guidance Memorandum at https://eis.af.mil/cs/edash/edwards/Document%20Library/Air20Quality/ECARS/Edwards_Guidance%20Memo.pdf .

Employees are encouraged to watch the ECARS General Awareness Training video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fKwjImWbEs&feature=youtu.bevideo on YouTube (approximately 5 minutes long), which provides additional information about this requirement and demonstrates how to use ECARS.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I don't think this requirement applies to my situation. Am I still required to access ECARS?
A: Yes. All federal employees (civilian and military) are required to complete the self-certification process in ECARS regardless of their situation. ECARS provides a wizard-like tool that will guide you through the process, which usually takes less than 5 minutes to complete.

Q: What if I don't drive a vehicle onto the facility indicated by the email notice from ECARS?
A: In either case you are still required to access ECARS and complete the self-certification process by simply answering "no" to the applicable question in the certification wizard.

Q: My vehicle is registered out of state or in some other area that does not require emissions testing. Do I need to access ECARS and complete the process?
A: Yes. Regardless of your commuting situation, you must access ECARS and complete the process. Vehicles driven onto Edwards AFB 60 or more days per year are required to comply with local emissions testing requirements. Upon completing the self-certification process in ECARS, the system will prompt you to take further action if required.

Q: My vehicle was emissions tested in another locale. Will that test meet this emissions test requirement?
A: Maybe. ECARS will prompt you to specify the county/municipality that performed your emissions test. Based on your response, you will be directed to take further action only if necessary.

Q: My vehicle is exempt from emissions testing. Do I need to complete this process?
A: Yes. ECARS will provide you the opportunity to select an exemption that is valid for this area. As long as your exemption is valid in the area wherein the base is located, no further action will be required.

Please contact Michael Hanshaw, 412th Civil Engineering Directorate at (661) 277-9080 or michael.hanshaw.1@us.af.mil if you have any questions or need assistance.