Cummins Inc. said today that it has received a letter from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Justice reaffirming the government's intention to enforce the terms of the consent decrees Cummins and four other U.S. engine manufacturers negotiated with the government in 1998.
The EPA and the Justice Department said the government will not consider any amendments to the decrees, in which the manufacturers agreed to produce engines meeting the 2.5 g/bhp-hr standard for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) by October 2002.
In April, Cummins declared that it would meet the consent decree deadlines. It is the only engine manufacturer to publicly state it will be able to meet the standards, which will result in an additional 38% reduction in NOx emissions from current emissions standards for all on-highway products.
"We have invested considerable resources to meet our commitments, and are confident that our development of emissions control technologies, coupled with our OEM partnerships, will allow us to provide customers with a reliable, durable product that contributes to a cleaner, healthier, safer environment," said Tim Solso, Cummins chairman & CEO.
Cummins said it will meet the new standard using cooled exhaust gas recirculation technology (EGR).
