EPA fines Iowa diesel repair company $75,000 for disabling equipment to reduce air pollution

Donnelle Eller
Des Moines Register

A southeast Iowa company will pay a $75,000 penalty for installing "defeat devices" in vehicles that disable emission controls designed to reduce harmful air pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday.

EPA said Midwest Truck Products, a diesel repair shop in Cantril tampered with vehicle engines or installed or sold devices to disable emissions controls for hundreds of customers.

“Aftermarket defeat devices are a significant contributor to harmful air pollution,” said Diane Huffman, acting director of EPA Region 7’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “These illegal practices also impede federal, state and local efforts to implement air quality standards that protect public health.”

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Car warming up

Tampering with vehicle engines, including installation of aftermarket defeat devices intended to bypass manufacturer emissions controls, results in significantly higher releases of nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, both of which contribute to serious public health problems in the United States, the EPA said.

These problems include premature mortality, aggravation of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, aggravation of existing asthma, acute respiratory symptoms, chronic bronchitis, and decreased lung function, the federal government said. Numerous studies also have linked diesel exhaust to increased incidence of lung cancer.

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South Central Diesel Inc., an industrial machinery and equipment distribution company in Holdrege, Nebraska, also will pay a $50,954 penalty for disabling emissions control equipment, the EPA said.

It said that in addition to paying civil penalties, the companies have certified that they have stopped disabling vehicle emission controls.

Donnelle Eller covers agriculture, the environment and energy for the Register. Reach her at deller@registermedia.com or 515-284-8457.