WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Cummins Inc. (CMI) has agreed to pay a $1.675 billion
civil penalty to settle civil cases brought against the company by the U.S.
Department of Justice and the state of California for alleged violations of the
Clean Air Act and California law. The Diesel engine manufacturer has also agreed
to spend more than $325 million to remedy the violations, which included the use
of software 'defeat devices' that circumvented emissions testing and
certification requirements, the U.S. Justice Department, Environmental
Protection Agency, California Air Resources Board and California Attorney
General's Office said.

'Cummins knowingly harmed people's health and our environment when they skirted
state emissions tests and requirements,' said California Attorney General Rob
Bonta.

Assistant Administrator David Uhlmann of EPA's Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance said Cummins installed illegal defeat devices on more than
600,000 RAM pickup trucks, which exposed overburdened communities across America
to harmful air pollution.

Under the settlement, Cummins must complete a nationwide vehicle recall to
repair and replace the engine control software in more than 600,000 RAM 2500 and
RAM 3500 pickup trucks equipped with the company's diesel engines. Cummins will
also extend the warranty period for certain parts in the repaired vehicles, fund
and perform projects to mitigate excess ozone-creating nitrogen oxides (NOx)
emitted from the vehicles and employ new internal procedures designed to prevent
future emissions cheating.

NOx pollution contributes to the formation of harmful smog and fine particulate
matter in air. Children, older adults, people who are active outdoors and people
with heart or lung diseases are particularly at risk for health effects related
to smog or particulate matter exposure. Nitrogen dioxide formed by NOx emissions
can aggravate respiratory diseases, particularly asthma, and may also contribute
to asthma development in children.



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