MONTPELIER, Vt. (WCAX) – Vermont has joined a group of other states raising objections to a proposed emissions settlement with the engine maker of Ram Trucks over so-called defeat devices installed in their diesel vehicles.
Similar to the VW diesel scandal in 2015, thousands of Ram heavy-duty pickup trucks manufactured by Stellantis had Cummins diesel engines equipped with software that limited nitrogen oxide pollution during emissions tests but allowed higher pollution during normal operations, according to the EPA.
Cummins’ total penalty in a proposed settlement announced in January comes to more than $1.5 billion, but Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark says the settlement reached with California and federal regulators does not address the harm to Vermont from the illegal devices and that Vermont was not consulted.