Tractor Supply to implement compliance program to resolve Clean Air Act violations
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have announced a settlement with Tractor Supply Company Inc. (TSC) and Tractor Supply Company of Texas L.P., that resolves allegations that the companies imported and sold more than 28,000 all-terrain vehicles, off-highway motorcycles and engines that did not comply with federal Clean Air Act certification and emission information labeling requirements. TSC will implement a compliance plan to prevent future violations and mitigation projects to reduce air pollution. TSC will also pay a $775,000 civil penalty.
“Emissions from vehicles and engines can cause serious health and environmental problems, so it’s imperative that importers and vendors ensure their products comply with federal clean air standards,” said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator, EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “It is also critical that we ensure a level playing field for companies that follow the law.”
The Clean Air Act requires that every vehicle and engine sold in the U.S. be covered by a valid, EPA-issued certificate of conformity, after manufacturers certify that vehicles meet applicable federal emissions standards.
EPA and the DOJ alleged that from 2006 to 2009, TSC imported from China and sold in the U.S. the vehicles and engines that varied from the certificates of conformity submitted to EPA.
The settlement requires TSC to implement a rigorous corporate compliance plan that requires regular vehicle and engine inspections, emissions and catalyst testing, staff training and reporting for five years. TSC will also mitigate potential adverse environmental effects of equipment already sold, estimated by EPA to be up to 23.5 tons of excess hydrocarbon and nitrogen oxide emissions and 12.2 tons of excess emissions of carbon monoxide, a gas that is poisonous at high levels in the air.
This settlement is part of an ongoing effort by the EPA to ensure that importers of vehicles and engines comply with the requirements of the Clean Air Act and that retailers exercise due diligence in ensuring that their products comply fully with the regulations.
TSC is a national rural lifestyle retail supply chain. The company has stores in 49 states and its headquarters is in Tennessee. In 2002, TSC was part of a group purchasing some leases of Michigan-based Quality Stores, Inc.
The settlement, lodged Sept. 30, 2015 in the U.S. District Court District of Columbia, has a 30-day public comment period.
The consent decree, is at www.justice.gov/enrd/consent-decrees
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