INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana – The United States Department of Justice has imposed a record-breaking $1.675 billion penalty on an Indiana-based engine manufacturing company for violating the federal Clean Air Act. The department alleges that Cummins Inc. installed devices on hundreds of thousands of RAM pickup truck engines which enabled them to bypass emissions sensors, resulting in excessive emissions of nitrogen oxides that can harm public health.

Attorney General Merrick B. Garland stated that the types of devices installed in Cummins’ engines have a significant and harmful impact on people’s health and safety, causing excess emissions of nitrogen oxides associated with asthma and respiratory infections.

The company has entered into a settlement agreement and will pay the $1.675 billion fine to the U.S. and the State of California to resolve the claims. This penalty is the largest fine imposed since the Clean Air Act was enacted in 1963, marking it as the second-largest environmental penalty in the history of the nation.

According to the Department of Justice, the allegations involve the installation of defeat devices on the engines of hundreds of thousands of 2013 to 2019 RAM 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks, as well as 330,000 newer RAM pickup trucks. Defeat devices are used to trick air pollution tests or bypass emissions controls, allowing vehicles to emit higher levels of pollutants than permitted by law.

Cummins Inc. has since initiated recalls and accrued a total of $59 million for executing these and other related recalls. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states that elevated concentrations of nitrogen oxides from vehicle emissions can irritate airways in the human respiratory system, leading to respiratory symptoms, hospital admissions, and visits to emergency rooms.

The Clean Air Act, enacted in 1963, is a federal law designed to protect and improve the nation’s air quality and the stratospheric ozone layer. It is the Environmental Protection Agency’s role to uphold the law.

In conclusion, the United States Department of Justice has imposed a historic $1.675 billion penalty on Cummins Inc. for violating the Clean Air Act by installing defeat devices on hundreds of thousands of RAM pickup truck engines, resulting in excessive emissions of harmful nitrogen oxides. The settlement marks the largest ever violation penalty since the law was enacted in 1963, underscoring the importance of upholding regulations to protect air quality and public health.