New Player in Dieselgate

Similar violation but new player—Fiat Chrysler, accused by U.S. EPA of willfully violating emissions standards for certain models of diesel Jeeps and Ram pickups. The charge comes a day after DOJ settled civil and criminal suits with Volkswagen.

2 minute read

January 13, 2017, 11:00 AM PST

By Irvin Dawid


Tailpipe

Fabianodp / Shutterstock

Something good has come out of the Volkswagen emissions scandal besides the $5 billion that VW agreed to pay states to mitigate the thousands of tons of harmful nitrogen oxides (NOx) their vehicles emitted so as to improve their performance.

"The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made a commitment to enhanced testing as the Volkswagen case developed, and this is a result of that collaboration," stated CARB Chair Mary D. Nichols.

Unlike the VW case, where a small team of West Virginia University engineers and technicians "contracted by the International Council on Clean Transportation to perform independent, on-road emissions testing on light-duty diesel vehicles" made the discovery, it was a vigilant EPA working with CARB that detected the Fiat Chrysler violation.

"The 104,000 affected vehicles include the light-duty model year 2014, 2015 and 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Ram 1500 trucks with 3-liter diesel engines sold in the United States," writes Hiroko Tabuchi, business reporter for The New York Times.

Not quite the same as VW cheating

Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, "stopped short of describing the software as a so-called defeat device of the sort used by Volkswagen to cheat on diesel emissions tests," reports Tabuchi. "But she said there was no doubt that Fiat Chrysler’s software 'is contributing to illegal pollution.'"

John German, senior fellow at the International Council on Clean Transportation, said the E.P.A.’s case against Fiat Chrysler was not as clear-cut. Nonetheless, he said he expected Fiat Chrysler to have difficulty defending itself against the government’s accusations.

If Fiat Chrysler is found to have violated the Clean Act Act, as the E.P.A. says, it faces potential penalties of up to $44,500 for each affected car, or more than $4.5 billion in total.

Sergio Marchionne, chief executive of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), denied "that the company had intentionally broken the law."

The FCA violation, announced on Jan. 12, comes a day after the U.S. Department of Justice announced that "Volkswagen AG agreed to plead guilty and pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties." In addition, DOJ announced that indictments were made against 6 VW executives.

The settlement brings VW settlements in dieselgate to nearly $20 billion.

One can't but help wonder whether the EPA under a President Trump, with Scott Pruitt in charge, will be as vigilant as the current agency under administrator Gina McCarthy.

Thursday, January 12, 2017 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 16, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Green vintage Chicago streetcar from the 1940s parked at the Illinois Railroad Museum in 1988.

Chicago’s Ghost Rails

Just beneath the surface of the modern city lie the remnants of its expansive early 20th-century streetcar system.

July 13, 2025 - WTTV

Blue and silver Amtrak train with vibrant green and yellow foliage in background.

Amtrak Cutting Jobs, Funding to High-Speed Rail

The agency plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce and has confirmed it will not fund new high-speed rail projects.

July 14, 2025 - Smart Cities Dive

Worker in yellow safety vest and hard hat looks up at servers in data center.

Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power

Utilities are calling on states to hold data center operators responsible for new energy demands to prevent leaving consumers on the hook for their bills.

July 18 - Inside Climate News

Former MARTA CEO Collie Greenwood standing in front of MARTA HQ with blurred MARTA sign visible in background.

MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns

MARTA’s board announced Thursday that its chief, who is from Canada, is resigning due to questions about his immigration status.

July 18 - WABE

Rendering of proposed protected bikeway in Santa Clara, California.

Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant

A Caltrans grant brings the 10-mile Central Bikeway project connecting Santa Clara and East San Jose closer to fruition.

July 17 - San José Spotlight