Canadian ‘Defeat Device’ Maker Can Be Sued Under Clean Air Act

The US government can enforce the Clean Air Act on a Canadian diesel engine tuning company that allegedly sold to US distributors and customers aftermarket products that bypassed vehicle emissions controls, a federal judge ruled.

The US Environmental Protection Agency sued Quebec-based Diesel Spec Inc. in March 2023, claiming that it sold and installed thousands of “Defeat Devices” on both motor vehicles and nonroad engines through a network of more than 400 distributors across North America.

Diesel Spec didn’t dispute the alleged facts in the complaint, but it argued that the CAA can’t be applied outside of the US, and ...