Caterpillar Inc. to Pay $2.55 Million to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations (HQ)
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced a settlement with
Caterpillar Inc. to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations for
shipping more than 590,000 highway and non-road diesel engines
without the correct emissions controls. Caterpillar also allegedly
failed to comply with emission control reporting and
engine-labeling requirements. Caterpillar will pay a $2.55 million
penalty, continue a recall of noncompliant engines and reduce
excess emissions. Engines operating without proper emissions
controls can emit excess nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter
and other air pollutants that impact people’s health,
potentially causing respiratory illnesses and aggravating
asthma.
"The enforcement of vehicle emissions standards, labeling and
reporting requirements is critical to protecting the air we breathe
and ensuring that companies play by the rules,” said Cynthia
Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s
settlement will protect public health and create a level playing
field for companies that meet their environmental
obligations.”
“This settlement demonstrates our commitment to enforcing
the Clean Air Act’s requirement that engine manufacturers
take steps to ensure engines are equipped with emissions controls
that are essential to protecting public health from harmful air
pollution,” said Ignacia S. Moreno, assistant attorney
general for the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the
Department of Justice. “Caterpillar will pay a substantial
civil penalty for shipping engines that did not comply with these
Clean Air Act requirements, and under this settlement, it must
continue its recall and correction of engines that do not have
correctly configured emissions controls.”
The Clean Air Act requires the use of certified after-treatment
devices (ATDs) that control engine exhaust emissions once the
emissions have exited the engine and entered the exhaust system.
Typical ATDs include catalytic converters and diesel particulate
filters. Correct fuel injector and fuel map settings are also
crucial for proper engine emission control. Caterpillar allegedly
shipped over 590,000 engines to vehicle assemblers without the
correct ATDs and with improperly configured fuel injector and map
settings. In some cases, the mis-configured engines were
incorporated into vehicles which resulted in excess emissions of
NOx and particulate matter into the environment.
The consent decree requires Caterpillar to continue its recall of
non-compliant engines to install the correct ATDs and correct the
fuel injector and fuel map settings. In addition to the recall,
Caterpillar will mitigate the effects of the excess emissions from
its engines through permanent retirement of banked emission
credits. Caterpillar will also improve its reporting of emission
control system defects, as required under the Clean Air Act.
The state of California, through the Air Resources Board, is also
settling its claims for violations arising from the sale of
improperly configured engines in California. California will
receive $510,000 of the civil penalty.
The settlement was lodged today in the U.S. District Court for the
District of Columbia and is subject to a 30-day public comment
period.
More information on the settlement:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/cases/civil/caa/caterpillarinc11.html