An auto parts company in Austin, Texas was fined nearly $3 million by the EPA and DOJ for violating the Clean Air Act.
The settlement: COBB Tuning Products must pay $2.9 million and make major changes to its operations.
- Stop selling and manufacturing defeat devices.
- Remove illegal functionality from its software.
- Destroy the illegal products in its inventory.
- Inform customers that their products violate the Clean Air Act.
The background: From January 2015, COBB sold over 90,000 illegal defeat devices that bypass emissions controls, increasing air pollution.
Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim stated, “The Clean Air Act remains one of our most important tools in securing a clean environment”
Additionally: COBB must revise its marketing materials and conduct compliance training for employees and contractors.
This follows similar recent fines against other companies like Rudy’s Performance Parts Inc. and Cummins, Inc., which was ordered to pay $1.675 billion according to CDLLife.
The proposed agreement is subject to a 30-day comment period before final court approval.