Premier Performance penalized $3 million for selling “defeat” devices
SEATTLE, Wa. (KIFI) - Rexburg-based Premier Performance has agreed to pay a $3 million penalty under the Clean Air Act for illegally selling emissions-control defeat devices to businesses and individuals across the country.
Premiere is one of the nation’s largest sellers of after-market automotive parts.
The Environmental Protection Agency alleges that from approximately January 2017 to February 2019, the company and three of its related companies -- JB Automotive in Iowa, RallySportDirect in Utah, and Stage 3 Motorsports in Arizona -- manufactured or sold at least 64,299 parts or components that bypass, defeat, or render inoperative the manufacturers’ technology and design necessary to reduce vehicle emissions to meet state and federal Clean Air Act standards.
According to EPA estimates, the emissions impact of removing emission controls from just one pickup truck is equivalent to putting about 300 new pickups on the road. The agency estimates the action would prevent the release of approximately 3.5 million pounds of air pollution per year.
“These companies sold tens of thousands of aftermarket defeat devices, and as a result, tens of thousands of trucks now operate without the filters, catalysts and other emissions controls that help keep our air clean,” said Ed Kowalski, Director of EPA Region 10’s Enforcement and Compliance Assurance Division. “These settlements will prevent future violations by requiring the companies to ensure that the products they sell do not adversely affect emissions.”
The companies have agreed to stop manufacturing and selling all products that violate the Clean Air Act. They told the EPA they have implemented work practice standards and procedural safeguards to prevent the sale of defeat devices.
The parts were designed and marketed for use on makes and models of diesel pickup trucks and engines manufactured by Cummins Inc., FCA US LLC, General Motors Company, and Ford Motor Company.
You can see the full consent agreement here.
