General Motors to pay fine of nearly $146 million for excess car emissions

“EPA’s vehicle standards depend on strong oversight in order to deliver public health benefits in the real world,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a statement. “Our investigation has achieved accountability and upholds an important program that’s reducing air pollution and protecting communities across the country.”

GM spokesman Bill Grotz said in an email that the automaker is not admitting any wrongdoing, including any violation of the Clean Air Act or other relevant federal laws.

“We believe this is the best course of action to swiftly resolve outstanding issues with the federal government regarding this matter,” Grotz said. “GM remains committed to reducing auto emissions and working toward achieving the Administration’s fleet electrification goals.”

The vehicles in question are model years 2012 through 2018. They include popular SUVs under GM’s Chevrolet brand, including the Chevrolet Equinox with front-wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of the Transportation Department, will impose the $145.8 million fine. In addition to the penalty, GM has agreed to retire millions of credits that it has received for complying with federal rules.

The automaker will cancel 50 million metric tons of greenhouse gas credits from the EPA, the agency said in a news release, as well as roughly 30.6 million gas mileage credits from NHTSA, spokeswoman Lucia Sanchez said in an email.

Dan Becker, director of the Center for Biological Diversity’s Safe Climate Transport Campaign, said the announcement underscores the importance of federal laws and oversight.

“This demonstrates why it’s important to have laws rather than just trusting automakers who say they will make cleaner, more efficient vehicles,” Becker said. “And it shows why EPA and NHTSA need to be constantly vigilant to protect our air and atmosphere.”

The action announced Wednesday pales in comparison to the Volkswagen emissions cheating scandal, often known as “Dieselgate.” In 2015, VW admitted to equipping around 11 million cars worldwide with software designed to cheat emissions tests. The German automaker later agreed to pay total fines of roughly $20 billion.

“Obviously this is not as large as Dieselgate,” said Dave Cooke, senior vehicles analyst at the Union of Concerned Scientists. “But 6 million vehicles is no small number.”

The Biden administration has sought to step up enforcement of the nation’s bedrock environmental laws. Last year, the Justice Department and the state of California reached an agreement with the truck engine manufacturer Cummins to resolve claims that the company installed devices to defeat emissions controls on hundreds of thousands of engines. The $1.6 billion penalty was the largest ever under the Clean Air Act.