American engine manufacturer will pay $1.6 billion to settle emissions fraud claims
The United States and the state of California have reached an agreement in principle with truck engine manufacturer Cummins on a $1.6 billion fine to settle claims that the company violated the Clean Air Act by installing devices to override emissions controls on hundreds of thousands of engines. bypass. The Ministry of Justice announced this on Friday.
The fine would be the largest ever under the Clean Air Act and the second largest environmental fine ever in the United States.
defeat devices are components or software that bypass, nullify, or disable emissions controls such as pollution sensors and on-board computers. They allow vehicles to pass emissions inspections while still emitting high levels of smog-causing pollutants such as nitrogen oxide, which is linked to asthma and other respiratory diseases.
The Justice Department has accused the company of installing defeat devices on 630,000 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup truck engines from model years 2013 to 2019. The company also allegedly secretly installed additional emissions control devices on 330,000 RAM 2500 and 3500 pick up truck engines from model year 2019 to 2023.
Stellantis, the company that makes the trucks, has already recalled the 2019 model year trucks and has initiated a recall for the 2013 through 2018 model year trucks.
“Violations of our environmental laws have a tangible impact. They are causing real harm to people in communities across the country,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “This historic agreement should make clear that the Department of Justice will be aggressive in its efforts to hold accountable those who seek to profit at the expense of people’s health and safety.”
In a statement, Cummins said it had seen “no evidence that anyone acted in bad faith and does not admit wrongdoing.”
The company said it has “cooperated fully with the relevant regulators, has already addressed many of the issues involved and looks forward to obtaining certainty as it concludes this lengthy matter.” Cummins conducted an extensive internal review and worked with regulators for more than four years.”
In 2016, Volkswagen agreed to pay up to $14.7 billion in a consumer class action lawsuit to settle claims arising from the defeat device scandal. The company agreed to buy back about 430,000 of the approximately 11 million million cars on which it had installed the fraudulent software around the world.