On October 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced settlement agreements with two companies due to violations of the Clean Air Act. The Shyft Group, Inc. faced penalties for not complying with greenhouse gas certification requirements concerning carbon dioxide emission standards in vehicles. Double R Diesel was penalized for manufacturing and selling aftermarket products that violate emissions standards.
Shyft agreed to pay a $2 million civil penalty following the manufacture of 4,315 uncertified vocational vehicles between model years 2017 and 2021. These vehicles are designed for specific tasks like garbage collection or firefighting. Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann emphasized the importance of compliance, stating: “For more than three decades, the Clean Air Act has outlawed the sale of aftermarket defeat devices and required companies to meet vehicle certification requirements to protect human health and the environment.”
The EPA's Environmental Appeals Board approved Shyft's settlement on September 27, 2024. The company has since demonstrated compliance with greenhouse gas certification for models produced after 2021.
In a separate case, Double R Diesel sold nearly 5,000 defeat devices that disable emissions-control systems in diesel-powered vehicles. Their settlement was ratified on September 24, 2024, with a penalty of nearly $10,000 imposed on them along with a cessation of sales for these products.
According to EPA findings, these defeat devices can increase pollutants like nitric oxides and particulate matter in vehicle emissions—substances linked to public health issues such as asthma and chronic pulmonary disease.
The EPA prioritizes maintaining its vehicle certification program's integrity and halting sales of aftermarket defeat devices.
Final decisions regarding these cases are accessible on the EPA’s Environmental Appeals Board website.
