The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today that it is withdrawing approval of the import and sale of up to 74,000 gas-powered motorcycles and all-terrain vehicles from China. The agency said that it received either incomplete or falsified certification information.
EPA issued the vehicle certificates from 2006 to 2012 to two companies, which operate as Snyder Technology and Snyder Computer Systems doing business as Wildfire Motors Corporation. Because of a lengthy investigation, the agency believes that the applications for the certificates contained misleading information and must be voided.
All vehicles imported into or manufactured in the United States are required to have certificates of conformity. Manufacturers or importers must submit an application to EPA that describes the vehicle and its emission control system. It must also provide emissions data demonstrating that the vehicle will meet federal emission standards for pollutants, including oxides of nitrogen (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and total hydrocarbons (HC), all of which can harm public health and the environment. These pollutants can contribute to soot (fine particles) and smog (ground-level ozone), which are associated with asthma and heart attacks, increased emergency room visits and premature death.
In the cases of Snyder and Wildfire, EPA believes the manufacturers failed to test accurately the emissions from their own products, all of which were imported from China. Without proper emission controls, these vehicles can emit substantially more pollution than allowable under Clean Air Act standards.
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