Half a million dollars in fines assessed to importers for more than 10,000 engine imports that failed to meet federal emissions standards.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with assistance from Customs and Border Protection officers, at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach has identified more than 10,000 imports of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles and construction equipment that lack proper emissions controls.
As a result, the agency assessed $530,199 in fines against 24 companies for those violations and ordered their shipments be re-exported.
New York-based Paggio, which imported 5,009 motorcycles from China and Vietnam, received the largest EPA penalty at $240,000. This was followed by Value Group of Norwalk, Calif., which imported 108 emission-violating motorcycles from China and received a $50,000 penalty. Yamazuki of Ontario, Calif., also received a $50,000 for the import of 213 motorcycles and ATVs from China.
Mike Stoker, EPA’s Pacific Southwest regional administrator, said in a statement Tuesday that this enforcement action “prevented hundreds of thousands of pounds of harmful air pollutants from being emitted into our air.”
The Clean Air Act prohibits the import of new engines or vehicles that fail to meet federal emission standards. An EPA-issued certificate of conformity must cover every vehicle and engine sold in the U.S. To obtain this certificate, manufacturers and importers must submit applications to EPA that describe the engine or vehicle, including its emission control system.
