现代建筑设备Americas Inc. and its parent company are paying a $47-million civil penalty to settle federal allegations that the company sold construction vehicles that weren't certified to meet the appropriate Clean Air Act emissions standards, federal agenciessay。

根据同意令filed on Sept. 19 in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the Dept. of Justice and Environmental Protection Agencies alleged that Hyundai evaded new, tougher emissions standards for nitrogen oxides and particulates by importing and selling diesel-powered construction equipment it had “stockpiled” from 2012 to 2015.

司法部和EPA声称，现代汽车通过符合较旧的，过时的排放标准的库存建筑设备违反了《清洁空气法》，但不以后更严格的要求。

总共，联邦机构认为，现代汽车至少出售了至少2269个非竞争柴油动力的建筑设备。该协议未指定哪种类型的建筑设备正在争议。

The consent decree states that Hyundai does not admit any liability to the government stemming from the alleged actions.

Susan P. Bodine, EPA assistant administrator for enforcement and compliance assurance, said in a statement, “By ignoring regulatory requirements, Hyundai not only gained a market advantage over their competitors, but they also introduced higher polluting vehicles into the United States, undermining the protection of human health and the environment.”

EPA said that a whistleblower’s tip in 2015 led to criminal and civil investigations of Hyundai. In the criminal probe, Hyundai on Nov. 14, 2018, pleaded guilty and was sentenced in federal court to pay a $1.95-million criminal fine for allegedly conspiring to defraud the federal government and violating the Clean Air Act. [View 2018 ENR storyhere。]

In a 2017 corporate reorganization, the Hyundai Heavy Industries division that manufactured, distributed and imported heavy construction equipment was spun off into a new entity, named Hyundai Construction Equipment Co. Ltd., based in Seoul.

U.S.-based attorneys for Hyundai didn’t respond to an ENR request for comment.