Pep Boys agree to pay fine for clean air violations

Pep Boys has agreed to pay $5 million in civil penalties for violations to the Clean Air Act for importing and selling motorcycles and recreational vehicles from China that do not comply with U.S. environmental regulations on emissions.

The complaint against Pep Boys automotive aftermarket chain alleges they sold at least 241,000 illegal vehicles and engines from 2004-2009. The manufacturer, Baja, a supplier of Chinese ATVs, motorcycles, and generators, was fined substantially less--$25,000--due to their current financial problems.

The agreement requires Pep Boy to export or destroy 1,300 vehicles that do not comply with U.S. environmentalstandards. Further, the company will work to offset the emissions created from the earlier sales by offering discounts on push or electric lawn mowers for customers trading in older polluting gas-powered mowers. The emissions from the non-compliant vehicles already sold to consumers is estimated at 620 tons of excess hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions and more than 6,520 tons of excess carbon monoxide emissions.

This case is the largest ever brought forth against a company for violation of the Clean Air Act in both the number of vehicles affected and the fine.