A diesel repair shop in Oregon and its owner are facing heavy penalties for illegally tampering with pollution monitoring devices, a violation of the Clean Air Act.
What happened?
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office District of Oregon, Christopher Kaufman of Veneta, Oregon, and his company Diesel & Offroad Authority pleaded guilty in federal court to "knowingly and intentionally tampering with pollution monitoring devices on at least 184 vehicles in violation of the Clean Air Act."
According to court documents, Diesel & Offroad Authority collected more than $378,000 for illegally modifying vehicles over four years.
"The defendants in this case illegally tampered with the onboard diagnostics systems and removed the emissions control components from hundreds of diesel trucks," said special agent in charge Lance Ehrig of the EPA's Criminal Investigation Division in Oregon.
Why it's important
Diesel pollution increases the risk of serious health conditions, including asthma, cancer, and respiratory illnesses, and can make existing heart and lung diseases worse, especially in children. Studies have shown that diesel exhaust may also be linked to new allergies.
People often remove pollution monitoring devices so they can "roll coal." It's a common practice when diesel truck drivers release big black clouds of soot from their tailpipes, often directed at bicyclists or EV drivers. It's a dangerous act that has been known to cause serious accidents.
According to the EPA, diesel exhaust contributes to ground-level ozone, which damages crops, trees, and other vegetation and produces acid rain. It also adds to the heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere that are responsible for the Earth's rising temperatures, leading to more extreme weather events like wildfires, floods, and droughts.
Rising global temperatures are also severely impacting food prices, winter sports, and even wine.
What's being done?
Kaufman and his company have agreed to pay $150,000 each in criminal fines and serve three years of probation. Sentencing will take place on July 17, 2024.
This isn't the only case of a company finding out the hard way that violating the Clean Air Act has significant consequences. California-based Sinister Diesel was fined $1 million for selling "delete devices" or "defeat devices" that bypass tailpipe pollution controls on diesel trucks.
After the Oregon case, special agent Ehrig issued a warning for others who violate the Clean Air Act: "This guilty plea demonstrates that EPA will vigorously prosecute those who violate laws designed to protect our communities from harmful air pollution."
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