So, when the emissions testing is done via OBDII port, it's not a question of the CE light being 'on' or 'off' they are checking the readiness monitors. As in: have all monitors completed the systems self- checks? Yes/No

Let's end this thread right here. What is worse for the environment over the course of 1 year. Every passenger car on the road in North America, or 15 cargo ships?

Leaf blower.

In my parish, we do a safety inspection. No emissions testing. We check, headlights, blinkers, horn, wipers and brake lights. $10.00 a year.

Shipping accounts for approximately 3% of global GHG emissions.
https://theicct.org/sites/default/files/publications/Global-shipping-GHG-emissions-2013-2015_ICCT-Report_17102017_vF.pdf

In VA, some areas require emissions but all require safety insp. I only need the safety inspection.
I guess it depends on your mechanic as far as the value of the safety inspection. It is a pain the the butt to get it done, but I must admit that the place I get mine done has found things I have missed. Bad suspension bushings/joints and a tiny exhaust leak. I am sure if my brake pads were thin or tires were low on tread, they would find that as well. Although I keep my cars in pretty good shape, I imagine a lot of less mechanically inclined people do not. I do see some clunkers on the road...so I imagine some shops are not as thorough.

I live in the 1st county west/ south that does'nt require emissions/ safety inspection. All technicians get 50% of the inspection cost. Plus they get ( in most shops) 50% of the state inspection repair labor for small items they perform themselves IE: light bulbs, adjustments, etc. They also recieve a % of larger repairs that other technicians perform on the failed vehicles to get them in shape to pass.

In the right place, with volume; state / emissions inspectors do very well, actually better than any other position in the service bays with little or no headaches. How well? Try $100k+ .........but they definitely work for it. Just like a fast paced assembly line in a factory.

In Ohio they test monitors. I will bet no state inspections looks only at the dash for the absence of a CEL/MIL.

There is talk on the street of Ohio killing the emissions check in the handful of counties that have the test. It's free but not as involved as PA's inspection.

IDK if this is related to your point, but there was a time when I failed inspection because I had replaced the battery just prior to inspection and there was no data to be had.

As long as the cat monitor is complete, you can have 2 monitors not run. Then it is ready to be tested, to which I incorrectly stated no cel, or mil = pass .
When , actually they plug in and look for current codes. No codes, and monitors run= pass. So, if you clear your light, or disconnect your battery and try to go get tested, you will be flagged not ready for testing ., and have to make the vehicle run monitors .
I dislike obd 2 for this reason . Monitors should be able to run in a 5 mile drive, some cars take hundreds as it can be hard to meet all the conditions depending on where you are currently driving .

Moved to Stuttgart in 2014 with the military. Spent three years there with three Porsches: 88 911, 14 911, 08 Cayman. The 88 911 had no cat on it when I bought it in 2005. No state I've lived in since 2002 had inspection/emissions so I never thought twice about it. I put one on before shipping the car to Germany expecting emissions to be painful from all the Green wokenesss you hear about over there.

When I brought it to be inspected on base, I expected to have issues with a 30+ year old car. Turns out, no tail pipe sniffer. Because it's an 88, no OBD. Very intense mechanical inspection but no emissions testing. Thought it was really odd. I did fail headlight adjustment, but I popped the tool kit out and since I knew how to adjust them, the German inspector smiled and let me do it. They issued me the green sticker for the windshield allowing you to drive into cities. Without the green sticker, no city driving, which can suck because we lived in the city.

Every year after for the inspection, he loved seeing our cars and always passed us with kind words about how we maintained and cared for them. Many others failed inspection because their cars looked like junk and they didn't care for them.

Around here (in counties that test) I think it's both. If you've got a CEL, then you're going to fail. If you aren't "READY" then you're going to fail and have to go back once you are "READY" and with no CEL.

Like outside air temp being above 40F and within three degrees of intake air temperature. You are screwed in the winter if no heated garage and an old Windstar. It won't run the drive cycle on the EXAP monitor.

Here is another good one I caught last week . 2 inches behind the control arm, and this is the support for the transmission mount .

Meanwhile in CA....they screw you back to 1976, Wankers.