PHILADELPHIA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday that an Exeter-based vehicle parts distributor will pay a $2.5 million fine for allegedly selling aftermarket devices to circumvent emission control systems on cars and trucks.
The EPA explained that Keystone Automotive’s alleged actions in more than 15,000 instances violated the Clean Air Act’s prohibition on the sale of so-called “defeat devices,” which are designed to “bypass, defeat or render inoperative” an automobile engine’s air pollution control equipment or systems.
The action was taken as a part of the EPA’s National Compliance Initiative for Stopping Aftermarket Defeat Devices for Vehicles and Engines, and is the third-largest civil penalty settlement nationwide for aftermarket defeat device cases.
“The EPA will not tolerate violations like this. This settlement will also send a message that we will crack down on companies selling illegal products that make our air quality and health worse,” EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz said.
According to the agency, today’s vehicles emit far less pollution than vehicles of the past due to careful engine calibrations and the use of filters and catalysts in the exhaust system. Meanwhile, aftermarket defeat devices undo this progress and pollute the air, with EPA testing showing that a vehicle’s pollutant emissions increase exponentially when its emissions controls are removed.
Keystone Automotive touts itself as “the leading distributer and marketer of aftermarket automotive equipment and accessories in North America” and has “grown from a single auto parts store to become the largest warehouse distributor” in the industry.
The EPA stated that the company was cited for 15,621 violations.
“When installed on motor vehicles, the 44 types of aftermarket automotive parts sold by Keystone created a potential harm to human health by defeating controls on emissions of particulate matter and ozone which are linked to a number of health effects as well as premature death,” an EPA press release stated.
“The practice of tampering with vehicles by installing defeat devices can enable large emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter, both of which contribute to serious health problems in the United States. These include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravation of existing asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and decreased lung function.”
The EPA remarked that such respiratory issues “disproportionately affect families, especially children, living in underserved communities overburdened by pollution, with emissions of NOx and particulate matter may also have harmful effects on sensitive vegetation and ecosystems.”
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com