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Greens oppose waiving Harley pollution fines

Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle Street Performance Tuner waiving
Harley-Davidson Screamin' Eagle Street Performance Tuner

Environmental groups, 10 states and the District of Columbia are opposing President Trump waiving $US3m in pollution fines for Harley-Davidson.

The American motorcycle manufacturer copped massive fines under the Obama administration fines for fitting 340,000 Screamin’ Eagle tuners that emit illegal amounts of pollution.pastedGraphic.png

Harley had agreed to buy back the tuners, pay $12m in civil penalties and $3 million for a program to mitigate pollution by upgrading wood-burning stoves.

Owners were not compelled to return the tuners and Australia was not affected and the tuners are still able to be sold, but only for use in racing or competition, otherwise it can affect their warranty.

In July 2017, Trump showed support for American industry by waiving the wood $3m stove component of the fine.

Harley-Davidson execs meet President Trump copycat cow debate waiving
Trump meets with Harley execs

Now 10 states, DC, the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, the Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Counsel and Conservation Law Foundation have filed opposition to the Trump deal saying it was not in the public interest and Harley had already agreed to the program.

The government and Harley have 20 business days to respond to the filings.

Tough times

Harley-Davidson Kansas City factory waiving
Kansas City HD factory to close

This legal action comes at a bad time for Harley which last week has announced its fourth year of sliding global sales and the plan to close its Kansas City factory.

Trump showed his allegiance to Harley when he invited executives to meet him on the White House lawn shortly after his inauguration.

In his first speech to Congress, Trump referred to the exorbitant import duties Harley faced in countries such as India.

However, since then Harley has also announced it will build an assembly plant in Thailand.

  1. Trump forgets that Harley-Davidson was only saved from bankruptcy after the American government under Ronald Reagan slapped a 70% tariff on all imported motorcycles over 700cc, reducing over a five-year period. He is a total hypocrite when he reckons the USA is always being hard done by when it comes to trade. As for the fines, I don’t see why Harley-Ferguson should be excused from paying just because it’s an American company. Is Trump going to waive Volkswagen’s fines for falsifying tests in regard to its polluting vehicles? I doubt it; it’s not an American company.

    1. Be practical.
      If he supports motorcycling he’s supporting us, if he attacks motorcycling he’s attacking us.
      Those are your choices.

      1. Be sensible.
        If he supports waiving fines for deliberate and flagrant flouting of the laws regarding pollution, he’s not supporting “us” at all – he’s supporting companies that have no concern for the environment and the air that people and animals breathe. “Us” in this instance is simply an American company – it would make no difference to Trump if it made motorcycles or washing mashines. Trump has backed down from treaties to minimise the increase in global warming so that American businesses can go on polluting and make enormous profits at at the expense of the the rest of the world (and Australia, as the world’s biggest per-capita polluter, is little better).

  2. I won’t have anything to do with Harleys, but there’s no doubt Trump’s appearance with HD did an enormous amount of good for motorcycling everywhere.
    The world’s most important leader publicly endorsed motorcycling. That’s the message beamed all over the world.

    Influence like that is unobtainable at any price. Every motorcycle brand & every motorcyclist has been done a huge favour.
    Never forget someone who does you a good turn.

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