Utah Physicians Secure Legal Settlement That Will Reduce Vehicle Pollution Across the Country

4 Wheel Parts agrees to penalty and to end nationwide sales of illegal pollution defeat devices.

(March 20, 2023 – Salt Lake City) – Today Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment (UPHE) lodged a consent decree with the Utah Federal District Court that, if approved by the court, prohibits 4 Wheel Parts stores throughout the United States, including the two in Utah, from selling or installing health-damaging pollution control defeats parts for vehicles including straight pipes, hollow catalytic converters and unapproved electronic “tuners.”

Removing a catalytic converter in violation of federal and state air pollution laws, which was enabled by aftermarket exhaust kits sold by 4 Wheel Parts, can cause a twenty-fold increase in health-damaging emissions of nitrogen oxide from each vehicle.

To improve air quality along the Wasatch Front, 4 Wheel Parts and its owner TAP Worldwide are also required to pay $100,000 to Davis County to fund a tampered diesel truck restoration program, $100,000 to Weber-Morgan Health Department to reduce the number of tampered vehicles registered out-of-county, and $100,000 to the federal government as a civil penalty.

Dr. Kirtly Jones, Vice President of UPHE said, “This settlement helps decrease the burden of air pollution which contributes to illness and death of men, women, and children in the Wasatch Front.”

“This company had a business model that included selling and installing pollution control defeat devices that dramatically increased tail pipe pollution. No company should be allowed to make profits by disdainfully flaunting our anti-pollution laws. This settlement should send a message to other companies that are engaged in similar activities,” said Dr. Brian Moench, President of UPHE.

“Today’s agreement will help reduce harmful emissions from cars and trucks, improving the air quality for millions of people in Utah and throughout the country” said Jonny Vasic, Executive Director of UPHE.

UPHE brought its Clean Air Act citizen suit against 4 Wheel Parts in 2019. However, court action was withheld pending the appeal in UPHE’s air pollution case against Utah’s Diesel Brothers. After the Diesel Brothers’ appeal was decided in UPHE’s favor, today’s agreement with 4 Wheel Parts followed.