PowerTrain to Pay $2M for Selling Engines that Failed to Meet Air Standards
The company imported nearly 80,000 non-road engines or equipment that were not covered by a Clean Air Act-required certificate of conformity.
Mississippi-based PowerTrain, Inc. will pay a civil penalty of $2 million to resolve claims that the company imported and sold nearly 80,000 non-road engines and equipment from China that did not meet standards under the Clean Air Act, according to a press release from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department.
"We enforce the standards for emissions from imported engines to protect the air we breathe and at the same time protect responsible companies that play by the rules,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Today’s settlement helps ensure cleaner air and a level playing field for companies that meet U.S. emissions standards.”
Between 2002 and 2008, PowerTrain imported 79,830 non-road engines or pieces of equipment into the United States that were not covered by a Clean Air Act-required certificate of conformity. The engines and equipment were sold to businesses and individuals through Wood Sales Company Inc. and Tool Mart, Inc. The engines and equipment were not covered by certificates of conformity because they were different models, had different power ratings, or were made by a different manufacturer than what was listed on the certificate. The engines also lacked two-year emissions-related warranties, as required by law.
Under the settlement, PowerTrain will implement a plan to ensure that the engines and equipment they import in the future comply with CAA requirements. They will also offset the excess emissions of hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide resulting from the sale of the illegal engines and equipment. As one of the offset projects, PowerTrain will spend an estimated $600,000 to provide subsidizes for consumers to replace old wood-burning appliances with efficient, EPA-certified wood stoves.
The proposed consent decree lodged with the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, will be subject to a 30-day public comment period.
Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Justice Department