Cummins was recently fined $1.675B for emissions violations but has not admitted fault. Is it a new Dieselgate, or something else? We talk to industry experts Kory Willis of PPEI and Peter Treydte from SEMA to gain some insight on the issue. The Truck Show Podcast is proudly presented by Nissan in association with Banks Power.
"Today, the Justice Department reached an initial agreement with Cummins Inc. to settle claims that, over the past decade, the company unlawfully altered hundreds of thousands of engines to bypass emissions tests in violation of the Clean Air Act," said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in a statement by the U.S. Department of Justice. "As part of the agreement, the Justice Department will require Cummins to pay $1.675 billion, the largest civil penalty we have ever secured under the Clean Air Act, and the second largest environmental penalty ever secured."
"The types of devices we allege that Cummins installed in its engines to cheat federal environmental laws have a significant and harmful impact on people’s health and safety. For example, in this case, our preliminary estimates suggest that defeat devices on some Cummins engines have caused them to produce thousands of tons of excess emissions of nitrogen oxides. The cascading effect of those pollutants can, over long-term exposure, lead to breathing issues like asthma and respiratory infections."
Meanwhile, in an internal memo to employees, Cummins CEO Jennifer Rumsey warned of impending negative press. "I want to underscore that the company has not admitted any wrongdoing nor seen evidence that anyone acted in bad faith. As this resolution is finalized over the next few weeks, we expect that the government will discuss this in a way that disparages the company. This is disappointing given how diligently and collaboratively we have worked with the regulators for more than four years to resolve their questions."