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The US Department of Justice recently fined Japanese automaker Toyota $ 180 million for the company’s alleged violations of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act reporting requirements. The veteran automaker’s violations are said to have lasted for about a decade, from around 2005 to at least 2015.
According to the DOJ on Thursday, Toyota delayed filing around 78 reports of information on emissions defects related to millions of vehicles. The Justice Department also alleged that Toyota failed to file 20 voluntary emissions recall reports, as well as 200 quarterly reports that are supposed to update the EPA on emissions-related recalls, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.
Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, noted that Toyota’s actions undermined the EPA’s self-disclosure system. This delayed or avoided the deployment of relevant emissions-related recalls, and it benefited the company at the expense of excess emissions.
“For a decade, Toyota has consistently violated regulations that provide the EPA with an essential compliance tool to ensure vehicles on the road meet federal emissions standards. Toyota has turned a blind eye to the non-compliance, failing to provide proper training, attention and oversight on its Clean Air Act reporting obligations.
“Toyota’s actions undermined the EPA’s self-disclosure system and likely led to delayed or avoided emissions-related recalls, resulting in a financial benefit for Toyota and excessive emissions of air pollutants. Today Toyota is paying the price for its misconduct with a civil penalty of $ 180 million and an agreement on an injunction to ensure its violations do not recur, ”said Strauss.
Susan Bodine, deputy administrator of the EPA’s Office of Law Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, described Toyota’s actions as a serious violation of the Clean Air Act. “For a decade, Toyota failed to report mandatory information about potential defects on its cars to the EPA, keeping the agency in the dark and avoiding oversight,” Bodine said.
A Toyota spokesperson noted that the company reported five years ago that there was a “process gap” which has caused delays in the automaker’s filing of some non-public EPA reports. . The spokesperson noted that Toyota has finally submitted all relevant late findings and that the company has initiated new reporting and compliance processes. “We recognize that some of our reporting protocols did not meet our own high standards, and we are happy to have this issue resolved,” the spokesperson said.
Toyota’s $ 180 million fine is the largest civil sanction to date for violations of EPA emissions reporting requirements, according to the DOJ.
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