Engine Firms Face New Settlement Obstacles

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Diesel engine companies thought the book was nearly closed on their long-running dispute over emissions testing when they agreed to settle the allegations in October, but the final chapter may be months from being written.

The companies will pay hundreds of millions in fines to the Environmental Protection Agency and must submit to costly retrofits. Now, as public comments on the matter are reviewed and outside parties consider legal action, the process threatens to drag out even longer.

Though the comment period ended Jan. 12, the Department of Justice and the environmental agency are looking at the filings. Once the agencies have finished with them and issue their responses, the material will be forwarded to the federal judge handling the case, said Bruce Ferguson, a lawyer with EPA’s air enforcement division.

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