American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Settlement
Contact
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Settles For $7,968,420
In August 2023, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (Honda), with its principal location in Torrance, California, for the company’s violation of the Evaporative Emissions Regulation and Small Off-Road Engine (SORE) Regulation, under California Code of Regulations, title 13, sections 2750-2774. CARB and Honda reached two prior settlements for SORE violations by Honda in December 2021 and April 2020.
Honda failed to comply with the requirements of the Evaporative Emissions Regulation and SORE Regulation, when the Executive Order associated with the engines identified in this settlement became invalid following the revocation of the related Variance (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, § 2753). CARB documented the violations relating to the Evaporative Emissions Regulation and SORE Regulation (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 13, §§ 2750-2774). To reach this settlement, Honda agreed to a penalty of approximately $90 per SORE violation, for a total settlement of $7,968,420.
Of the total settlement, $5,694,452 comprising the civil penalty will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California’s air quality. The remaining amount of $2,273,968 will fund four Supplemental Environment Projects (SEP), entitled:
- New Voices Are Rising: Envisioning Resilience Hubs in the Community (Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment);
- Inland Empire Environmental Health and Education Connections (El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center);
- Asthma Impact Model Stanislaus County (Central California Asthma Collaborative); and
- Side Street Projects – Woodworking Bus (Side Street Projects);
Terms of this settlement include Honda’s commitment to specific compliance obligations to ensure the continued provision of service parties, warranty, and safety for the affected units. This commitment, while challenging, is a significant step toward rectifying the impact of the violations and ensuring compliance going forward.