The Justice Department has lodged a formal complaint against eBay Inc. today, accusing the company of engaging in unlawful activities involving the sale and distribution of hundreds of thousands of products that contravene the Clean Air Act (CAA), the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). This legal action, initiated on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has been filed in federal court in Brooklyn.
The complaint specifically alleges that eBay was involved in the sale, offering for sale, or facilitation of the sale of over 343,000 aftermarket defeat devices.
These devices are designed to circumvent motor vehicle emission controls, a clear violation of the CAA. The use of aftermarket defeat devices results in a substantial increase in harmful pollution emissions, including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, and nonmethane hydrocarbons. These emissions have detrimental effects on public health and obstruct the efforts of the EPA, state authorities, tribal governments, and local agencies to formulate and achieve air quality standards.