On November 9, 2022, EPA filed an administrative settlement with Diesel Fuel Systems, Inc. The settlement, with Diesel Fuel Systems, Inc. of Bangor, Maine, resolves EPA's allegations that from 2019 to 2021, the company sold and installed aftermarket parts known as defeat devices , in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. Under the terms of the settlement, Diesel Fuel Systems, Inc. will pay a penalty of $100,000. The penalty amount considers the effect of the penalty on the company's ability to continue in business, based on detailed financial data provided to EPA. Diesel Fuel Systems, Inc. has now certified to EPA that it will destroy all tampered equipment and that it has ceased the sale and installation of such defeat devices.
EPA, through its direct implementation authority, plays a critical role in addressing tampering and aftermarket defeat device pollutant sources. EPA will notify the Maine Department of Environmental Protection of this settlement. According to EPA's EJSCREEN, the facility is not an area in which the environmental justice indices are at or above the 80th percentile in the United States. Because vehicles that have been tampered with contribute excess dirty emissions to communities located adjacent to highways and freight facilities, EPA New England regards tampering as a key issue in working toward environmental justice.