Cummins Settles With EPA

COLUMBUS, IN - Engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. last month agreed to pay a $2.1 million penalty and recall 405 engines under a settlement agreement aimed at resolving Clean Air Act violations, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

The settlement was announced by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department. A complaint was filed along with the settlement in federal court in Washington. The complaint alleges that between 1998 and 2006, Cummins shipped more than 570,000 heavy-duty diesel engines to vehicle equipment manufacturers in the U.S. without pollution-control equipment required under the Clean Air Act. 

A representative of Cummins told the Wall Street Journal, however, that the company simply failed to have the proper documentation to show that the required pollution-control equipment was matched to the proper engine in 405 instances. Those 405 instances represent just .07 percent of the engines Cummins shipped during the period of time in question, the company spokeswoman said. She added that Cummins has since put processes into place to ensure proper documentation in the future. 

A separate settlement was also reached between Cummins and the California Air Resources Board. CARB will receive $420,000 of the $2.1 million penalty.