Make Volkswagen pay for emissions scam
Last month, it was discovered that for the past seven years Volkswagen was cheating on emissions tests. Volkswagen deliberately defrauded and misled the American people and federal regulators, and it should face significant civil and criminal penalties.
The company broke the trust of the public, and its unprecedented actions have called the practices of the entire industry into question.
Volkswagen demonstrated that public health and honesty were secondary to profit. Consumers were duped into buying so- called “clean diesel” cars with promises of great performance, high gas mileage, and low emissions. But those promises turned out to be too good to be true. Consumers paid thousands of dollars extra for the diesel TDI versions of the Golf, Jetta, Beetle and Passat, as well as the Audi A3. Those premiums were paid in the interest of saving gas money while playing a part in protecting the environment. Consumers were misled by deceptive advertising, they lost value on their cars, and they are stuck adding to air pollution.
If consumers seek to address the emissions problem, they will undoubtedly be faced with degraded fuel efficiency and/ or loss in vehicle performance. Those living in states with yearly or biennial emissions testing— including Illinoisans— will fail inspection if they do not address this problem while those in other states might opt to forgo the “fix” and continue to subject their communities to smog levels that are up to 40 times higher than what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers acceptable.
The auto industry as a whole is in crisis. We have seen major failures from some of the world’s biggest automakers and auto part suppliers. In each of these incidents, the blame was placed on faulty design and even corporate culture. But now a major automaker has clearly and deliberately deceived the government and consumers.
Almost all Americans have been affected by these numerous breaches of public trust. Consumers have lost confidence that their vehicles are safe for themselves and, now, for their communities.
We cannot continue to let these incidents catch us offguard. We must demand that the auto industry puts the health and safety of consumers ahead of short-term profits.
This week, the Energy and Commerce Committee begins its investigation in Volkswagen’s deception. We intend to hold Volkswagen’s feet to the fire, working to help consumers be made whole. And we encourage the EPA, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission to take all available actions against Volkswagen.
We as legislators have an opportunity to make changes to reform the auto industry and protect the health and safety of American citizens. One way to start is to pass the Vehicle Safety Improvement Act introduced earlier this year. The bill includes a number of provisions increasing the accountability of the automakers for auto safety. It also includes mechanisms to help identify safety problems sooner and help get defective vehicles off the roads faster.
But clearly more must be done. Reforms of the auto industry must include increased accountability for emissions standards as well. Protection of public health and safety is one of our most essential tasks as legislators. We have let these problems linger for too long. We must take action now.
Almost all Americans have been affected by these numerous breaches of public trust. Consumers have lost confidence that their vehicles are safe for themselves and, now, for their communities.