The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has instructed Fayat S.A.S. and nine of its subsidiaries to pay $11M for violating Clean Air Act emission standards regulations.
The Justice Department worked with the EPA to agree on the financial settlement with Fayat and the nine entities: BOMAG GmbH, Bomag Americas Inc., BOMAG (China) Construction Machinery Co. Ltd., MARINI S.p.A., RAVO B.V., Charlatte of America Inc., PTC S.A.S., Secmair S.A.S., and MATHIEU S.A.
Fayat Group and its subsidiaries pay for regulatory environmental breach
“Fayat failed to ensure that the equipment it introduced into the United States market complied with Clean Air Act requirements designed to protect the public’s health from harmful emissions,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD).
The combined complaints of the EPA and Justice Department reportedly centered on the time period between 2014 and 2018.
At the time, it was alleged that Fayat and its subsidiaries “illegally imported and sold hundreds of pavers, rollers, and other nonroad equipment containing diesel engines that failed to meet Clean Air Act emission requirements.”
“Fayat’s import of nonroad vehicles with outdated diesel engines violates the Clean Air Act standards for emissions from mobile sources and threatened exposure to harmful diesel air emissions,” said Acting Assistant Administrator Cecil Rodrigues for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
In addition, the complaint focused on the company and its named subsidiaries’ failure to comply with Clean Air Act labeling and reporting requirements.
This has resulted in the aforementioned fine of $11 million, and Fayat will undergo a sweeping change to how it operates due to the Justice Department report. The company will take action to reduce harmful emissions and retrofit vehicles and machinery currently in use at a site in Mobile, Alabama.
Assistant Attorney General Kim concluded, “We will not tolerate violations of Clean Air Act standards. The settlement requires both a substantial civil penalty and a project that will reduce emissions in the Mobile, Alabama, area and contribute to improved public health.”
Image: Pexels.
