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$3 million civil penalty for Bandit Industries

Jan. 20, 2017 - Michigan-based wood and waste processing equipment manufacturer Bandit Industries is paying a $3 million civil penalty for selling non-road diesel engines which were used to process wood and waste and did not meet federal standards, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says.  

Bandit says it was not aware of its violations and was under the impression that the engines it was provided by its supplier met federal requirements of the Clean Air Act. Upon finding out, Bandit voluntarily informed the EPA. 

According to the EPA, "Bandit committed 2,552 violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA) due to non-compliance with the requirements of the Act’s Transition Program for Equipment Manufacturers (TPEM)." 

Bandit says government discussions spanned from February 2015 to November 2016 when Bandit and the EPA reached an agreement. 

In a statement released by Bandit, president Jerry Morey wrote, "Bandit does not admit liability and Bandit expressly denies any intentional or deliberate TPEM non-compliance in the agreement. The settlement will not affect Bandit’s ability to continue to operate or supply quality products and service to its customers. Bandit has not had any previous clean air violations and has put in measures to ensure all engines installed on their equipment comply with the Federal Clean Air Act."

January 20, 2017  By  Tamar Atik