Harley-Davidson Stock Drops Over Alleged Emissions Violations

Harley-Davidson has settled a lawsuit with the Environmental Protection Agency that alleged the company sold motorcycles and after-market parts that did not meet EPA requirements.

“This settlement is not an admission of liability but instead represents a good faith compromise with the EPA on areas of law we interpret differently, particularly EPA’s assertion that it is illegal for anyone to modify a certified vehicle even if it will be used solely for off-road/closed-course competition,” said Ed Moreland, Harley-Davidson’s government affairs director, in a statement. “For more than two decades, we have sold this product under an accepted regulatory approach that permitted the sale of competition-only parts. In our view, it is and was legal to use in race conditions in the U.S.”

Harley-Davidson’s stock saw an 8 percent drop when the news was announced but almost recovered completely the morning after. The stock ended the day just down 1.7 percent.

The lawsuit alleges Harley-Davidson sold more than 12,000 motorcycles which did not meet the federal emission standards but issued certifications regardless. This was according to a statement issued by the EPA.

The suit also alleged the company sold 340,000 after-market engine tuners that, once installed, “caused motorcycles to emit higher amounts of certain air pollutants than what the company certified to EPA,” the statement said.

Source: CNBC