{"id":107466,"date":"2016-06-28T11:41:52","date_gmt":"2016-06-28T15:41:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=107466"},"modified":"2016-06-28T11:41:52","modified_gmt":"2016-06-28T15:41:52","slug":"feds-outline-diesel-emissions-settlement-with-vw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2016\/06\/feds-outline-diesel-emissions-settlement-with-vw\/","title":{"rendered":"Feds Outline Diesel Emissions Settlement with VW"},"content":{"rendered":"
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EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy calls the settlement "unprecedented" under the Clean Air Act.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Describing the settlement as \u201cgroundbreaking\u201d and \u201cunprecedented,\u201d federal officials outlined a $14.7 billion, three-part deal with Volkswagen that will, among other things, remove as many as 475,000 diesel vehicles from U.S. roads.<\/p>\n

But the agreement, which could yield significant compensation for those who own those vehicles, does not end the German automaker\u2019s legal and financial problems. VW still has to reach a settlement covering about 50,000 additional vehicles. And it could yet face criminal charges and civil fines stemming from its efforts to cheat on government emissions tests.<\/p>\n

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Clearing the Air!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The settlement \u201cmarks the largest clean air mitigation step in the history of the Clean Air Act,\u201d declared Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally G. Yates during a news conference in Washington, D.C. But, she added, \u201cIt is by no means the final step.\u201d Among other things, she added, \u201cI can assure you our criminal investigation is active and ongoing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The scandal erupted last September when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency charged VW with using a so-called \u201cdefeat device\u201d capable to detecting when a vehicle equipped with one of its 2.0-liter diesel engines is undergoing emissions tests and then adjusting controls to reduce the production of particulates and smog-causing oxides of nitrogen.<\/p>\n

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The settlement covers only 2.0-liter diesels sold under both the VW and Audi brands.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The automaker quickly acknowledged the subterfuge and subsequently confirmed it also had cheated on emissions tests involving a 3.0-liter diesel used in Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche-branded vehicles.<\/p>\n

(German authorities investigating role of former VW CEO Winterkorn. <\/em>Click Here<\/a> for the latest.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The settlement that was submitted to the U.S. District Court in San Francisco this morning covers only the roughly 475,000 vehicles using the smaller engine. An agreement covering the larger diesel is still being negotiated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re holding Volkswagen responsible for distorting the market for clean cars,\u201d said Gina McCarthy, the head of the EPA, who called the settlement \u201cunprecedented,\u201d and a \u201cgroundbreaking achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agreement has three basic components:<\/p>\n