House lawmakers are demanding that Volkswagen to turn over documents related to its emissions cheating scandal.
The German automaker has admitted to using “defeat devices” that cheated on the Environmental Protection Agency’s vehicle emissions tests. The devices, made up of 100 million lines of software code in its “clean diesel” vehicles, could tell when the vehicles were undergoing emissions testing. The software allowed the company to slide past federal emissions regulations, despite the diesel engines releasing 40 times more emissions than legally allowed.
In a letter sent Tuesday, leaders of the House Commerce and Energy Committee told the company it needs to turn over all documents and communications leading to the scheme.
“It seems Volkswagen had a dirty little secret, and it’s not just consumers who are feeling betrayed. There are many unanswered questions and we will get the facts and the answers that the American people deserve,” said committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich.
The Energy and Commerce Committee and its Oversight and Investigations subcommittee are investigating the scheme, with the subcommittee expected to hold hearings on the scandal soon.
The committee leaders are also asking the EPA to turn over documents related to how the scheme was discovered, how Volkswagen has responded and current deliberations on possible recalls.
The EPA also was asked to turn over documents related to its recall process for vehicles that have violated the Clean Air Act, a detailed description of emissions testing and the notice it sent to auto manufacturers on Friday announcing enhanced emissions testing.
“The Clean Air Act has been put in place for very good reason — to protect the public health and keep Americans safe. It is the law of the land, and we must make sure that EPA has the tools necessary to enforce these policies and also detect any fraud that may be occurring,” wrote Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., and Rep. Diana DeGrette, D-Colo., in a joint statement.
“We will continue to investigate this deceptive activity on the part of Volkswagen to ensure that these blatant violations do not happen again and consumers can trust the products that they buy.”
The EPA and Volkswagen have until Oct. 13 to turn over the documents.
Volkswagen announced Tuesday it has come up with a plan to fix the software code that it will present next month. Owners of the vehicles will find out if their cars are affected in the next few weeks and months.
Volkswagen estimates 11 million vehicles worldwide contain “defeat devices,” and the company has set aside $7.2 billion to fix the software. As many as 482,000 vehicles are affected in the United States, and the EPA could fine the company more than $18 billion.
All the vehicles are considered safe to drive and no recall has been announced.
