California AG Secured Settlement with Engine Manufacturer over Use of Emissions Defeat Devices

JANUARY 10, 2024

On January 12, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $372 million settlement with an engine manufacturing company, Cummins, Inc., to resolve allegations that the company had illegally used defeat devices to bypass vehicle emissions control equipment in diesel engines, resulting in excessive nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. NOx emissions cause smog and endangers human health and the environment. The case involved over 97,000 engines in California and nearly 1 million vehicles nationwide. The company must pay $164 million in penalties to the California Air Resources Board (CARB), $33 million to the attorney general’s office for environmental violations and unfair business practices, and $175 million to CARB for mitigation programs to reduce the excessive, harmful emissions resulting from the company’s actions. Additionally, the company was required to pay a $1.6 billion federal penalty to the Environmental Protection Agency.