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In collaboration with the US Department of Justice, the Environmental Protection Agency has gone after yet another American business for “emissions defeat devices.” A splashy press release has announced Rudy’s Performance Parts, a company we’re sure plenty of our readers has used, has been forced to pay $10 million for such a sin.
The EPA has declared war on aftermarket car modifications.
Some automotive publications have borderline celebrated this move. We won’t because we’ve been watching with concern as the EPA has moved from hitting big parts manufacturers and resellers, working its way down to small performance shops and dealerships. What’s next are private enthusiasts at their homes.
What many people don’t seem to understand is Congress has never clearly defined what constitutes an “emissions defeat device” so the EPA has free reign to change its own definition as it pleases. This practice is performed by other federal regulators, making compliance by businesses and individuals trickier and full of pitfalls.
Which brings us to the next point: people who say if you’re not doing anything wrong, you don’t have anything to worry about. Well, they likely commit felonies on the regular and aren’t aware, but boy those same people are first in line to cast stones at anyone marched out by the feds for public humiliation.
That brings us to the sobering truth that individuals are likely not too far off from being visited by armed EPA agents who are just trying to keep the air clean. While pollution isn’t something we celebrate, using that as a pretext for crushing American businesses and going after private citizens for “emissions defeat devices” seems uneven.
After all, why doesn’t the EPA look into pollution generated by the production of electric vehicles? The answer is obvious: political expedience. This isn’t about fighting pollution, it’s about power and control.
Just remember that when the nice EPA agents clad in tactical gear descend on you home for using whatever they’ve decided currently constitutes an “emissions defeat device.”
Image via EPA/YouTube
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