Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc. Settlement
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Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc. Settles For $26,000
Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products N.A., Inc. (Husqvarna), a power equipment manufacturer based in Charlotte, North Carolina, settled its emissions-related case with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) in May 2020. This resolution resulted from the company’s self-disclosure in July 2019 that it has sold uncertified mowers in violation of California’s exhaust and evaporative emission regulations for small off-road engines. CARB’s investigation determined that a total of 130 noncompliant mowers were sold in the state.
The total civil fine of $26,000, or $200 per mower, will be split equally between CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund and a Supplemental Environmental Project that will install advanced air filtration systems in facilities within Placer County. The per unit penalty was reduced by 80 percent on the basis of both Husqvarna’s disclosure and the implementation of a voluntary buyback and exchange program that recovered 90 percent of the illegal mowers. The company is also instituting improved customer and product checks, and added training for its shipping staff on the applicable emission requirements.