Compliance Perspectives: Volkswagen's Transformation
Daily Compliance News: March 3, 2020, the Devil’s Advocate edition
Compliance into the Weeds-Episode 62, Sentencing of VW Employee Oliver Schmidt
Day 20: What Does Innovation in Compliance Look Like?
On December 3, 2019, the Arkansas Department of Energy and Environment, Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Office of Air Quality announced that the application deadlines for two Volkswagen settlement mitigation programs...more
In 2015, when confronted with a United States Environmental Protection Agency Notice of Violation of the Clean Air Act, Volkswagen admitted to installing defeat devices in the diesel engine software of approximately 500,000...more
Stuart Spencer of the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (“ADEQ”) undertook a presentation at the March meeting of the Arkansas Bar Association Environmental Law Section titled: Volkswagen Settlement –...more
On August 29, 2018, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency ("Illinois EPA") released application materials for the first funding period of monies allocated to Illinois from Volkswagen's $2.9 billion settlement with the...more
While much has been made of U.S. EPA’s alleged scaling back of enforcement on various fronts and other policy changes, a wave of enforcement against mobile source engines appears ready to break on the heavy-duty diesel...more
2018 State AG Elections- Democrat Tatewin Means Announces Candidacy for South Dakota Attorney General- Democrat Tatewin Means announced her bid for South Dakota AG in 2018....more
The headlines generated by the Volkswagen emissions scandal continue to amaze the environmental community and the general public, both here and abroad. The events are shocking in part because they involve a household name in...more
The emissions cheating scandal that recently cost VW $4.3 billion and a mess of criminal indictments isn’t, it seems, confined to the Germans. We heard months ago about a similar probe into Mitsubishi, and yesterday we...more
VW Will Pay $14.7B in Largest FTC False Ad Suit - Volkswagen made a $14.7 billion deal with the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and the California Attorney General over charges that the auto...more
…Influenced by poor government regulation. “For a lesson in what not to do in the way of corporate compliance, look at Volkswagen.” So wrote Erika Kelton, a whistleblower attorney and contributor to Forbes....more
News of “Dieselgate” broke in the Fall 2014, when vaunted vehicle-maker Volkswagen was accused of dodging federal emissions laws by rigging its automobiles so they would pass smog tests. The summer of 2015 saw the scandal...more
Today I continue my exploration of the Battle of the Somme, which began on July 1, 1916. Daniel Todman writing in the Financial Times (FT), in an article entitled “Stories of the Somme”, insightfully noted that for all the...more
Proposed settlement filed in Volkswagen class action - The class plaintiffs, the government and VW filed a proposed settlement agreement in court yesterday. I wanted to provide you with a copy of the proposed settlement...more
Tris Coffin heads the Vermont Volkswagen Class Action litigation team at DRM that also includes Directors Bob Luce and Marc Heath. On the evening of April 20, a number of news outlets published stories that Volkswagen...more
FTC Hits Volkswagen With Suit Over Emissions Ad Campaign - The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against Volkswagen Group of America, charging the automaker with deceiving consumers in violation of Section 5 of the...more
One of the areas where my thinking has evolved in the compliance arena is around the area of reputational damage. Of course commentators, such as Andrea Bonime-Blanc, have written and spoken about preventing damage to a...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - State lawmaker seeks to close old SoCal Gas wells in Aliso Canyon - Los Angeles Business - Jan 12 State Senator Fran Pavley is calling for Southern California Gas Co. to close older...more
Energy and Climate Debate - Following weeks of intense negotiations, Congress approved the $1.1 trillion omnibus appropriations and $680 billion tax extenders package (H.R. 2029), which includes a long-term extension and...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Gov. Brown declares state of emergency over natural gas leak - San Diego Union Tribune - Jan 6 - California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency Wednesday over a...more
Volkswagen AG (VW) has lost more than one-third of its value following the September issuance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of a Notice of Violation (NOV) of the Clean Air Act to VW and certain affiliated...more
Usually I have Houston professional sports teams to hold high as example of true bone headedness around compliance issues. However, as my beloved Houston Astros took the World Series Champions, KC Royals, to the 7th inning of...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Senate votes to block EPA’s clean water rule: The Hill - Nov 4:: The U.S. Senate approved a bill Wednesday to block the Obama administration’s new regulation defining federal authority...more
"Wherefore Art Thou Due Process?" Part III - Why it matters: It is time for another installment in our continuing "Wherefore Art Thou Due Process?" coverage into the ongoing constitutional challenges to the SEC's...more
Environmental and Policy Focus - Governor Brown authorizes streamlined groundwater: Allen Matkins - Oct 13: On Friday, October 9, 2015, Governor Brown signed a suite of bills that has the potential to significantly...more
Commercials Pulled After Endorser Admits 9/11 Lies - The revelation that an endorser lied about his whereabouts on September 11 led a national sports-themed restaurant chain to stop airing commercials where the actor...more