EPA sets fines of up to $12,220 for each engine that misses ’02 pollution target

WASHINGTON (Aug. 2, 2002) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency set penalties of as much as $12,210 US for each heavy-truck diesel engine that does not meet an Oct. 1 deadline to cut nitrogen-oxide emissions.

The penalties range from $3,640 to $12,210 for a heavy-duty diesel engine emitting the maximum pollution allowed, the agency said. Starting Oct. 1, most heavy-duty engines are supposed to adhere to an emissions standard of 2.5 grams per brake horsepower of non-methane hydrocarbonplus nitrogen oxides, or NMHC+NOx.

The non-compliance penalties apply to engines covered under a 1998 settlement reached by the Justice Department and EPA with six major manufacturers of diesel engines.

The settlement resolved claims that the manufacturers installed illegal computer software on heavy-duty diesel engines that turned off the emission control system during highway driving.

The consent decrees require compliance with the 2004 NOx emission limits by October 2002 and specify that manufacturers unable to meet the emission limits that begin October 2002 pay penalties based on their emissions level above the 2004 standard.

“The EPA’s proposed penalties are significantly higher than the levels included in the consent decree signed in 1998,’ Caterpillar said in a written statement. “We’re disappointed in the EPA’s ruling, but the issue of penalties will now be resolved in the courts,’ the company said. Caterpillar has said its engines will not be able to meet the EPA targets by Oct. 1.