二〇〇八年四月二十四日，美国司法局和环保署联合宣布，美国MTD西南图森Ariz公司,美国MTD公司，台湾Jenn Feng公司和它在美国的子公司McCulloch因为没有遵守联邦空气污染标准法而必须接受2000000美元罚款；与此同时，上述四家公司还必须另外支付5000000美元，用于对大气污染的补偿。
      英文原件如下：
News for Release: Thursday, April 24, 2008
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Taiwanese and U.S. Companies Settle Clean Air Violations
Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
(Washington, D.C. – April 24, 2008) A Taiwanese manufacturer and three American corporations will pay a $2 million civil penalty for allegedly importing and distributing approximately 200,000 chainsaws in the U.S. that failed to meet federal air pollution standards, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today. The companies also agreed to spend approximately $5 million on projects to reduce air pollution.
The settlement resolves alleged violations of the Clean Air Act by MTD Southwest of Tucson, Ariz., its parent company, MTD Products of Cleveland, Ohio, Jenn Feng Industrial Company of Taiwan, and its subsidiary, McCulloch Corp. of Santa Fe Springs, Calif. Jenn Feng manufactured the engines for sale in the U.S. and McCulloch obtained certificates of conformity from EPA for the engines. MTD Products/MTD Southwest purchased the engines from Jenn Feng and imported and distributed the engines to the U.S.
“EPA will continue to enforce the Clean Air Act and stop illegal imports,” said Granta Y. Nakayama, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Reliable and effective pollution control systems are essential to protect human health and the environment from harmful emissions from non-road engines.”
“In addition to securing a significant civil penalty, today’s settlement more than compensates the environment for the illegal emissions caused by these violations,” said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General of the Environment and Natural Resources Division. “The settlement requires the companies to reduce nearly four times the estimated excess hydrocarbon emissions resulting from the violations, as well as reducing approximately 13,000 tons of other air pollutants.”
The settlement involves the largest civil penalty for violations of federal air pollution emissions standards for engines in “non-road” equipment. These engines are used in a variety of equipment including chainsaws, lawnmowers, trimmers and blowers.
More than 100,000 of the chainsaws were sold to consumers at Sears, McCulloch and Troy-Bilt retail outlets. EPA estimates that these chainsaws will emit approximately 268 tons of excess hydrocarbons into the environment over their lifetime.
In addition to the penalty, the companies will conduct the following projects to reduce air pollution to remedy the impact of the alleged violations. These projects are expected to reduce more than the excess emissions resulting from the violations:
? Install streetlights with light-emitting diodes (LED) in selected cities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 11,460 tons and reduce energy consumption;
? Install low-permeable fuel lines in at least 1 million engines used in lawn and garden equipment to reduce hydrocarbon emissions by about 1,000 tons; and
? Purchase nitrogen oxides emissions allowances and surrender them to EPA to prevent about 1,470 tons of NOx emissions represented by those allowances from ever entering the environment.
The settlement also requires that the companies prevent future violations by implementing rigorous plans to ensure that all imports meet emissions and design standards. Under the settlement, the importers will randomly sample imported engines and test for compliance with air standards. The settlement also requires the companies to set up compliance hotlines that will allow people to submit confidential, anonymous information about each company’s compliance with the non-road regulations. The companies are required to export from the U.S. any illegal chainsaws that have not yet been sold.
The government’s complaint alleges that the chainsaw engines did not conform to specifications provided by McCulloch in its applications for certification. McCulloch’s applications claimed that the 2006 model year engines would be built with catalytic converters to control air pollution and meet air emissions standards. The complaint also alleges that a number of 2005 model year chainsaws did not conform to the specifications in the certification application.
MTD notified EPA regarding the potential violations. During the subsequent investigation, EPA discovered that the 2006 model year engines were built without catalytic converters and did not meet federal emissions requirements.
In 1995, EPA established regulations to reduce emissions of hydrocarbons from small gasoline powered non-road engines. To obtain a certificate of conformity from EPA, a manufacturer must submit an application to EPA that describes the engine and its emission control system, and that demonstrates that the engines will meet federal emissions standards for nitrogen oxides and total hydrocarbons.
Non-road engines emit volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxides, which contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, or smog. Exposure to even low levels of ozone can cause respiratory problems, and repeated exposure can aggravate pre-existing respiratory diseases.
In addition to today’s settlement, EPA has imposed nearly $2.4 million in fines during the past 18 months against more than 58 importers for engines that failed to have required certification or emission controls. Without the proper controls, engines can emit 30 percent more pollution than allowable under EPA standards.
The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court.

      上述四家公司受到巨额罚款，其主要原因有二点：
      一、美国McCulloch持有EPA证书，但它们给美国EPA的申报材料与发动机的实际技术参数不符合。
      二、由台湾Jenn Feng公司生产的发动机在由其美国子公司McCulloch申请EPA证书时，信息资料里面注明，污染控制手段是催化剂，但实际生产过程中，没有安装。
正是由于这二项重大的错误，给它们造成了重大的经济损失，其名誉影响更是无法估量。
目前，我们国内的EPA证书持有者在生产和经营过程中，也存在一定的问题，归纳起来，主要有如下几点：
      1、偷工减料，在催化剂、化油器、消音器、火花塞、油管、炭灌等对蒸发和排放有重要影响的零部件上面，随意增减，随意调换零部件生产厂家、规格、型号，由于这些不严谨的更换，也没有进行必要的测试和申报，导致证书申请时的发动机状况与实际生产的发动机严重不符。严格意义上，进行更改后的发动机是没有EPA证书的，但厂家却仍然在使用原来的证书进行生产销售。
      2、申报资料混乱。厂家随意找技术服务公司进行申报，甚至自己不懂，胡乱申报。这样一来的结果就是，美国环保署非常麻烦，对于生产商而言，前后申报的公司不同，申报人员不同，会导致同一系族的发动机申报材料不同，使EPA审证官员无所适从，进而自己给自己制造麻烦，使得EPA申报效率和审证速度严重下降，时间拖延，严重时，会使EPA审证官员拒绝接受申报。
为了使国内制造商的生产销售活动和对外贸易活动更加顺畅，所持有的EPA证书长期合法有效，并避免不必要的麻烦。特向各证书申请者和持有人提出如下两点建议：
      一、在进行EPA证书申请时，一定要选择在行业内有影响的专业技术服务公司进行代理。因为，只有专业的公司的专业申请人员，对法规的理解才是最透彻的，他们能把国内的生产现状与美国的法规要求进行有效的结合，这样，才能使得认证工作经济、高效、快捷。如果是自行申请，一定要对法规及其变化进行深入了解和消化，避免因此而造成不必要的影响和麻烦。
      二、在谨慎选择代理人后，不要随意更换。因为，不同的人，不同的公司有不同的做法。为了保证申报资料的连贯性、一致性，同一专业的公司，专业的申报人，和系统全面的资料管理是十分重要的。

      杭州沃德认证技术服务有限公司作为有多年认证经验的专业技术服务机构，已经为国内外一百多家内燃机生产企业成功申请了众多的美国及欧洲排放证书，并为他们提供长期的技术服务支持和认证申请代理。 
      杭州沃德认证技术服务有限公司愿成为广大外贸生产经营者的亲密挚友！