Washington truck importer fined for emissions tampering

AIRWAY HEIGHTS — An Airway Heights truck importer has agreed to pay a third fine stemming from a federal investigation that found it was trying to cheat emissions testing standards.

DDM Imports has agreed to pay $66,622 after an inspection of two Ford F-350s at the Canadian border in November revealed evidence of tampering with emission controls, the Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.

Emissions controls limit the amount of nitrogen oxide and particulate matter released into the air from exhaust fumes, which can cause health problems, the Spokesman-Review reported.

The trucks were discovered during a check at the crossing in Eastport, Idaho, the EPA said. DDM Imports has been fined twice before for similar infractions. The company has agreed to pay $134,022 in fines to date.

A representative of DDM said the company was preparing a statement in response to the fines. That statement was not available as of press time Wednesday. In the EPA order, the company said it “neither admits nor denies the specific factual allegations and legal conclusions” contained in the document.

Federal regulators have increased enforcement on so-called “defeat devices” and tampering with emissions controls following 2015 discovery that German automaker Volkswagen had included software in their diesel-powered vehicles allowing them to appear to pass emissions tests.