Engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. has agreed to a $46 million settlement with California authorities over failure to disclose changes to their engines, resulting in emissions violations.
What's happening: Cummins made unauthorized alterations to roughly 120,000 engines sold in California and installed undisclosed auxiliary emission control devices in 2,000 engines, leading to excessive emissions.
- California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Department of Justice (DOJ) uncovered the violations, which Cummins will rectify by recalling and repairing the affected engines.
- Cummins will pay $42 million to CARB and $4 million to DOJ to resolve the emissions control and certification breaches.
The background: This comes after Cummins faced a massive $1.675 billion penalty for similar Clean Air Act violations involving RAM pickup truck engines.
The impact: The $46 million will support CARB's mobile source emissions control program and other efforts to control air pollution. Cummins also has the option to invest in heavy-duty zero-emissions charging infrastructure as part of the settlement, according to CARB.
The bigger picture: This settlement reflects ongoing regulatory scrutiny over emissions standards in the trucking industry.
Cummins has cooperated with the investigation and is taking steps to prevent future violations, indicating an industry shift toward greater environmental compliance.