In an unusual case of one federal agency fining another, the EPA fined the GSA nearly $500,000 for failing to ensure that its vehicle fleet in its Pacific Rim region complied with applicable emissions requirements.
“GSA did not have controls in place to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Furthermore, Fleet did not follow its own policy requiring coordination with state and local officials to ensure that FAS Fleet meets emission program standards. If the Pacific Rim Region Fleet had established adequate processes to ensure that vehicles were accurately tracked and taken the proper safeguards to ensure compliance, this fine could have been avoided,” an IG report said.
It recounted that the GSA has age and mileage standards for considering when vehicles are eligible for replacement depending on the type of vehicle, although for the most part they are driven longer than the minimums for cost purposes. “Notwithstanding these longer holding periods, laws and regulations related to vehicle emissions standards are constantly changing, and GSA vehicles could be subject to these changes,” it said.
That happened in California, which in 2012 put in effect new emissions standards applying to diesel-powered vehicles, standards that could be achieved on older vehicles by installing a particulate matter filter or upgrading the engine. However, the GSA region did neither, due to “cost, warranty, and safety concerns.” Later the EPA issued a notice of violation under the Clean Air Act and fined it $485,000.
GSA management agreed with recommendations including that GSA assure that it is following its own policy of assuring that its vehicles comply with current laws and regulations.
