The US Department of Justice today on behalf of the EPA filed a complaint against eBay Inc. (eBay) for unlawfully selling, offering for sale, causing the sale of, and distributing hundreds of thousands of products in violation of the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (“FIFRA”) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The complaint filed with the federal Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn seeks a ruling that eBay’s business practices as an e-commerce retailer violated the CAA, FIFRA, and TSCA with injunctive relief to enjoin eBay from further violations of these laws, as well as civil penalties for violations of the CAA.
“Our nation’s environmental laws protect public health and the environment by prohibiting the unlawful sale of defeat devices; unregistered, misbranded and restricted use pesticides; and unsafe products containing toxic chemicals such as methylene chloride,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “The complaint filed today demonstrates that EPA will hold online retailers responsible for the unlawful sale of products on their websites that can harm consumers and the environment.” Continue reading
NHTSA Fire Alert – Park Your Kia or Hyundai Outside
Hyundai Motor America and Kia America have issued “park outside” recalls for more than 3.3 million vehicles due to the risk of fire. Until these recalled vehicles* have been repaired, the safest place to park them is outside and away from homes and other structures. Fires can occur whether the vehicle is parked and turned off or while driving. Moreover, owners ~1.64 million Hyundai and Genesis vehicles listed below should park their vehicles outside and away from homes until their vehicles have been repaired, due to a new recall for the risk of fire. (AutoInformed: Hyundai Fire Recalls – Palisade, Tucson, Sonata, Elantra, Kona; Kia Soul, Sportage, Seltos)
To date, Hyundai claims it does not know of any crashes, injuries or fatalities associated with this safety defect. There have been 21 related vehicle fires in the United States as well as 22 “thermal incidents,” including visible smoke, burning and melting. To date, Kia claims it does not know of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities associated with this safety defect. Kia knows of one engine compartment fire, three fires in the unit, and six instances of melting components. Continue reading →