Wehrli Custom Fabrication sold 1,400+ defeat devices to wreck our air

TL;DR

According to the EPA, Wehrli Custom Fabrication, Inc. prioritized private profit over our air quality of the general public by manufacturing, selling, and installing nearly 1,500 “defeat devices.”

These components were designed specifically to bypass federal emission controls on heavy-duty diesel engines, effectively turning vehicles into mobile sources of unregulated pollution.

While the pollution-enjoying company has agreed to a financial settlement, the systemic nature of this conduct suggests a broader disregard for corporate social responsibility in favor of short-term economic gain.

Please continue reading to uncover the specific timeline of these actions and why this case serves as a chilling example of how neoliberal capitalism can compromise the very air we breathe.

Table of Contents

• The Machinery of Corporate Greed
• Allegations and the Timeline of Misconduct
• Corporate Pollution: A Tax on Public Health
• Neoliberal Capitalism and the Erosion of Corporate Ethics
• Why Corporate Accountability Matters for Society

The Machinery of Corporate Greed

In the logic of our modern marketplace hellscape, “efficiency” is often a code word for cutting corners. For Wehrli Custom Fabrication, this took the form of “tampering”…the act of removing or rendering inoperative the emission control systems that protect the public from toxic exhaust.

These systems, including Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs) and Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCRs), are not optional “extras”; they are the primary defense against nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

When an evil corporation manufactures and sells over 1,400 parts intended to defeat these systems, they’re participating in a calculated subversion of corporate ethics. The “defeat devices” sold by Wehrli allowed heavy-duty engines to spew pollutants at levels far beyond legal limits, effectively socializing the environmental cost while privatizing the profits from the sales.

Allegations and the Timeline of Misconduct

The following timeline details the period of environmental misconduct where Wehrli Custom Fabrication bypassed environmental safeguards for economic benefit.

Corporate Pollution: A Tax on Public Health

We must look past the dry legal jargon of “certificates of conformity” and “aftermarket parts” to see the human impact. Corporate pollution is not a victimless crime. The pollutants these defeat devices let loose (specifically nitrogen oxides and particulate matter) are directly linked to respiratory ailments, heart disease, and premature death.

By installing software on at least 101 motor vehicles to bypass emission controls, Wehrli chose to increase the toxic load on the atmosphere. In the world of neoliberal capitalism, the health of a child’s lungs in DeKalb, Illinois, is often weighed against the “performance” of a diesel engine and found to be less valuable than the profit margin of the fabricator.

Neoliberal Capitalism and the Erosion of Corporate Ethics

This case is a microcosm of a larger wealth disparity in the distribution of environmental harm. The people who benefit from “tuned” engines are a small group of enthusiasts and business owners; the people who pay the price are everyone else who shares the air.

This erosion of corporate accountability is a hallmark of an era where regulations are viewed as “obstacles” rather than essential protections for the commons.

The fact that a company could operate for years, selling over a thousand devices intended to break the law, speaks to a culture where corporate greed is often treated as standard business practice until the moment an inspector walks through the door!

Why Corporate Accountability Matters for Society

If polluting corporations are allowed to bypass the law for the sake of “customization,” the fabric of our public health protections begins to unravel.

Society relies on the principle that the pursuit of profit does not grant a license to poison. When we demand corporate accountability, we are not just asking for paperwork; we are fighting for the right to live in a society where the air is not a dumping ground for the sake of a faster truck or a fatter bottom line.

The $267,680.21 penalty is a start, but it cannot retroactively scrub the nitrogen oxides from the air. True justice requires a shift in our values. A shift in values to one where the well-being of the many finally outweighs the illicit “performance” gains of the few.

Please fact check this story about cheat devices by visiting the EPA’s website on this scandal: https://yosemite.epa.gov/oa/rhc/epaadmin.nsf/Filings/518497C7A04B969D85258AD0005D8B67?OpenDocument