FOOTHILL RANCH (CNS) - The California Air Resources Board today announced a settlement of $160,000 with Orange County-based Kawasaki MotorsCorp. to resolve clean-air violations related to the sale of small off-road engines, typically used as replacements in lawn mowers and leaf blowers.
This is the first time that a manufacturer has been cited for failing to comply with the regulation specifically as it relates to replacement engines since its adoption in 1990, according to CARB officials.
A message seeking comment sent to Kawasaki's media center was not immediately answered.
The Small Off-Road Engine Regulation requires that all small off-road engines sold in California be covered by an Executive Order certifying that the engine meets and was tested to the required exhaust emission standards. In addition, certification requires that the engines have an emissions label, be covered by specific warranty provisions, and be subject to manufacturer reporting requirements.
Manufacturers are required to comply with all portions of the certification regulation in order for the engines to be legal for sale in California.
Kawasaki self-reported its violations of the SORE regulation to CARB staff, specifically that it had manufactured and sold replacement engines for model years 2002, 2004- 2006, and 2008-2018 and did not properly label. In addition, Kawasaki failed to report the actual numbers of engines sold for each of those years as required by reporting mandates, according to CARB.
“We commend a major manufacturer such as Kawasaki coming forward to report lapses in meeting our certification requirements,'' said Todd Sax, CARB's enforcement division chief. “Reporting is a required part of our regulations and to not do so undermines our certification programs and hinders our ability to effectively enforce California's anti-pollution laws.''
In light of its decision to self-report, CARB worked with Kawasaki and determined that to resolve the violations, the company will implement a compliance plan to ensure that it adheres to California's SORE regulations and pay a settlement of $160,000, according to CARB.
Half of the funds will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, while the remaining $80,000 will be paid to Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton Environmental Justice Program, a Supplemental Environmental Project, to install air filtration systems at an elementary school, according to CARB.
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