Volkswagen and Their Violations of the Clean Air Act

After road tests conducted in 2015, Volkswagen (VW) was discovered to have perpetrated a diesel scandal dubbed “dieselgate” or “emissionsgate.” The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determined that Volkswagen, through the installation of “defeat devices” in its auto diesel engines, violated the Clean Air Act (CAA) (Hotten).

Notably, this federal law has been referred to as the most influential and comprehensive air quality control world over. Its primary purpose is to regulate air emissions emanating from either mobile or stationary sources. The creation of this comprehensive Act was intended at authorizing the EPA to institute National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) which are purposed to protect public welfare by preventing excessive emissions of hazardous air pollutants. Volkswagen’s “defeat software,” which was at the core of the scandal, would dodge emissions tests.

Ordinarily, all auto brands must submit their cars for particular tests in the pursuit to determine the emissions levels of those vehicles. Cars with emission rates that exceed the acceptable threshold are not allowed to enter the U.S. market. Having designed diesel engines which were excessively contaminating the air, Volkswagen resolved to use an unscrupulous method to cheat the emissions tests. The “defeat software” would detect when the car was under tests and adjust the engine performance to suit the EPA standards.

When the elusive cars were allowed to hit the road, they would emit toxic emissions that exceeded the allowed amounts by a margin as large as forty times higher (Hotten). Regrettably, nitric oxide (NOX), which can provoke serious health issues, was the major pollutant emitted in excess amounts. Evidently, Volkswagen’s move was unethical as it denied Americans their right to quality air which is free from intentionally released pollutants.

Without a doubt, the engineers responsible for designing the “defeat programs” did the opposite of what the Engineers’ Code of Ethics stipulates. According to the mentioned set of laws, engineers must always put the interests of the public first place. The subject engineers dismissed this obligation by designing a device that would not only poison the environment but also threaten the health of people across the world (Zielinski and Karkala). As a rule, their actions amounted to an illegal practice which puts Volkswagen, the employer of the engineers, in a position of liability. Volkswagen had to take full responsibility for every damage caused. After the legitimacy of Volkswagen’s emissions tests was put into question, a string of consequences and repercussions followed.

Before 2015, VW had dismissed the rumors concerning its excessive emissions scandal as mere technical anomalies. Owing to the vigorous campaign by VW about its anti-emissions engines, it is understandable that the majority of the people and lawmakers doubted VW’s diesel engine. Be that as it may, when evidence of the “defeat system” was discovered, VW found itself in a precarious position. Shamefully, VW was forced to fully acknowledge its manipulative program. The German auto company responded by recalling all the affected cars for correction. Despite this expression of good will, many of its loyal customers across the world were disappointed. As a result, VW’s share value dropped by a solid 35% (Zielinski and Karkala). In addition, the then VW’s CEO, Martin Winterkorn, would not stomach the disgrace. He opted out by issuing an official resignation address (Hotten). Although he denied any involvement in the scandal, it is hard to believe that all the manipulation happened behind his back. For this reason, Winterkorn had to be investigated.

Considering the scale of the scam, one would expect nothing less than serious consequences. After the hearts of VW’s loyal customers, who subscribe to the notion of environmental protection, were broken, many of them would abandon the brand in favor of other eco-friendly auto companies (Zielinski and Karkala). The innumerable negative sentiments on VW’s twitter handle are in support of this statement. Furthermore, a solid 42% of the loyal customers stated that they would not buy VW cars in the coming days. Only about 4% of the clientele, a small percentage for a multinational company, said that they would give VW a second chance (Zielinski and Karkala). The trust of the Volkswagen Group in the market was heavily dilapidated. The resignation of a long-serving CEO and the circumstances in which Mr. Winterkorn left his post were significant disruptions that would take time to fade away. The initiative to recall defective cars would cost VW about €6.7 billion, a huge dent that would potentially push VW to the edge (Hotten). This monetary setback would lead Volkswagen to a season of loss-making. Even worse, EPA had the mandate to impose fines on VW for every car that breaches its standards in the event that the court found VW at fault. The result would be a total fine of approximately $18 billion (Hotten). Costs for possible legal actions would also put VW in a deeper financial crisis.

Letting Volkswagen go free after the destructive scandal would be a big injustice to humanity. In this regard, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against VW in Detroit (Woodyard). The EPA together in collaboration with the California Air Resources Board, the two parties that exposed the violations, comprised the plaintiff side (Woodyard).

The complainants submitted that VW violated the Clean Air Act. The Attorney General (AG) was also an interested party. The AG argued that car manufacturers who defy the outlined rules, breach the public trust, disadvantage competitors, and endanger public health must be held accountable (Woodyard). In addition, over 500,000 UK drivers filed a lawsuit against VW’s “dieselgate” with the aim of obtaining compensation (Ridley). Having admitted committing a felony by concealing emission rates, Volkswagen would struggle to win during the trials.