VOL. 53 ISSUE 33 AUGUST 23, 2016 P29
HARLEY-DAVIDSON SLAPPED WITH MASSIVE FINES
H
arley-Davidson has been
hit with $12 million in fines
relating to the sale of 340,000
Screamin' Eagle "super tuner"
devices that caused the motor-
cycles to emit higher amounts of
certain air pollutants than what
the company certified to the
EPA.
As part of the fines package,
Harley-Davidson has agreed to
buy back and destroy the devic-
es, meaning the overall cost will
reach far higher than the initial
$12 million hit, which includes
an extra $3 million to mitigate air
pollution through a project to re-
place conventional woodstoves
with cleaner-burning stoves in
local communities.
"This settlement immediately
stops the sale of illegal after-
market defeat devices used on
public roads that threaten the
air we breathe," said Assistant
Administrator Cynthia Giles of
EPA's Office of Enforcement
and Compliance Assurance.
"Harley-Davidson is taking
important steps to buy back the
super tuners from their dealers
and destroy them, while funding
projects to mitigate the pollution
they caused."
According to the EPA, Harley-
Davidson also made and sold
more than 12,000 motorcycles
that were not covered by an
EPA certification that ensures
a vehicle meets federal clean
air standards. The Clean Air Act
requires motor vehicle manu-
facturers to certify to the EPA
that their vehicles will meet
applicable federal emissions
standards to control air pollution
and every motor vehicle sold
in the U.S. must be covered
by an EPA-issued certificate of
conformity. The Clean Air Act
prohibits manufacturers from
making and selling devices
that bypass, defeat, or render
inoperative a motor vehicle's
EPA-certified emissions control
system. The act also prohibits
any person from removing or
rendering inoperative a motor
vehicle's certified emissions
control system and from causing
such tampering. The complaint
alleges violations of both these
provisions.
"Given Harley-Davidson's
prominence in the industry, this
is a very significant step toward
our goal of stopping the sale
of illegal aftermarket defeat
devices that cause harmful pol-
lution on our roads and in our
communities," said Assistant At-
torney General John C. Cruden,
head of the Justice Depart-
ment's Environment and Natural
Resources Division. "Anyone
else who manufactures, sells,
or installs these types of illegal
products should take heed of
Harley-Davidson's corrective
actions and immediately stop
violating the law."
The Harley-Davidson case
has eerie similarities to the
much larger one leveled at
Volkswagen, one that saw the
automotive giant slammed with
a staggering $15 billion last year
for cheating on emissions test-
ing. While not anywhere near as
large as that, the Harley-David-
son case will send shockwaves
through the motorcycle industry
and tighten an already robust
stance on emissions testing. CN
This is what's caused
all the trouble. Har-
ley's whopping fines
will be a message to
the industry not to
mess with the EPA.
