Car Companies to Pay $100 Million in Historic Case Involving Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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welcomia/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Monday that a pair of car companies will pay a $100 million penalty in a historic case regarding enforcement of greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a release from the Department of Justice, Hyundai and Kia allegedly sold 1.2 million vehicles that emit more greenhouse gases than they certified to the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the DOJ, those 1.2 million vehicles would emit about 4.75 million metric tons of greenhouse gases over what the companies had certified. In addition to the financial penalty, the companies will forfeit greenhouse gas emission credits earned for producing vehicles with lower emissions than required by law.
Holder called the settlement “unprecedented,” saying that it “underscores the Justice Department’s firm commitment to safeguarding American consumers, ensuring fairness in every marketplace, protecting the environment, and relentlessly pursuing companies that make misrepresentations and violate the law.”
The vehicles in questions are believed to have included Hyundai Accents, Elantra, Velosters and Santa Fes and Kia Rio and Soul vehicles from the 2012 and 2013 model years. The DOJ also says that the two companies provide consumers with inaccurate information about the vehicles’ fuel economy.
Hyundai and Kia will both reorganize their emissions certification group, revise test protocols, improve management of test data and enhance employee training.
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