EPA Engine Case in Limbo

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The wheels of justice continue to grind slowly in the case of the consent decrees six diesel engine makers signed with the Department of Justice and the Environmental Protection Agency in October.

Caterpillar Inc., Cummins Engine Co., Detroit Diesel Corp., Mack Trucks, Navistar International Transportation Corp. and Volvo Truck Corp. agreed to the largest environmental settlement ever to put to rest EPA claims that they cheated on emissions tests.

Public comment on the settlement, which included fines, environmental projects, retrofits and stricter emissions standards, ended Jan. 12.

For the agreements to become official, a federal judge must review the comments and see whether the settlement is in the public’s best interest.

To get to that point, however, the Justice Department must present U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., with the comments and the government’s response to them.

The Justice Department is still in the process of reviewing those comments and has not made any decisions yet on what, if any, changes those comments may prompt.

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