The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a settlement with Advance Manufacturing Group U.S.A. Inc., an automotive parts manufacturer and distributor doing business as OBX Racing Sports, for violating the Clean Air Act.
EPA alleges the company manufactured and sold auto aftermarket parts known as defeat devices, which bypass or render inoperative required emissions control systems. OBX Racing Sports, based in Union City, California, will pay a penalty of $25,000.
Between 2015 and 2017, OBX Racing Sports sold 1,551 aftermarket products designed to defeat the emissions control systems of gasoline-powered cars. These systems increase emissions of harmful pollutants, including nitrogen oxides (NOx), which are associated with health problems, including heart and lung ailments like chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Cars and trucks manufactured today emit far less pollution than older vehicles. This is made possible through careful engine calibrations and the use of catalytic converters in the exhaust system. Aftermarket defeat devices bypass these controls and cause vehicles to emit higher levels of emissions. EPA testing has shown that defeat devices can increase a vehicle’s NOx emissions substantially.
Published in the June 2019 Edition
