In the slick corridors of power, where corporate bigwigs rub shoulders with politicians, sometimes the truth slips out in the most brazen ways. Back on 26 January 2022, Cummins Inc.’s then-CEO Tom Linebarger strode into a White House event, all smiles and soundbites, to bang the drum for the Build Back Better Act. He was there with President Joe Biden and a gaggle of other CEOs, preaching about climate change, innovation, and job creation. But buried in his polished patter was what reads like a damning admission – a nod to the very “technologies” that would later cost his company a fortune in fines for emissions cheating. For those of us fighting the good fight at tcap.blog, this isn’t just irony; it’s outright complicity in a system that lets polluters play hero while poisoning the planet.
The White House Stage
Picture it: Linebarger, chairman and CEO of a global engine giant, gets a prime speaking slot at a high-profile press event. He’s one of just three CEOs to open his mouth during the formal bit, waxing lyrical about how the Build Back Better Act’s climate provisions would supercharge decarbonisation and American competitiveness. He banged on about tax credits for hydrogen production, clean commercial vehicles, and infrastructure – all the greenwashing buzzwords you’d expect from a firm that’s made billions off diesel guzzlers. But then he drops this gem: “Our success implementing technologies to reduce emissions in response to the Clean Air Act, is exactly what we need to do now… While it was extremely challenging, Cummins moved first and began investing in the necessary technologies and solutions to meet the regulations.”
Necessary technologies? Solutions to meet regulations? In hindsight, it’s enough to make your blood boil. This was no humble brag about genuine innovation; it reeks of a veiled confession to the defeat devices – those sneaky bits of software and hardware designed to game emissions tests – that Cummins had been shoving into hundreds of thousands of engines.
The “Confession” Unpacked
Let’s not mince words: defeat devices are the automotive world’s dirty little secret, tools that let vehicles pass lab tests with flying colours while belching out illegal levels of pollutants on the real road. Linebarger’s words paint Cummins as the plucky pioneer, investing early to “meet regulations” under the Clean Air Act. But fast-forward less than two years, and the company’s caught red-handed, agreeing to cough up a staggering $1.675 billion in penalties for installing exactly those devices in 630,000 diesel engines from 2013 to 2019. Mostly in Ram pickup trucks, these cheats bypassed emissions controls, dumping excess nitrogen oxides into the air and screwing over public health.
He called it “challenging” – no shit, dodging the law while pretending to lead on emissions must be a real headache. But framing defeat devices as “necessary technologies”? That’s not just spin; it’s a middle finger to everyone breathing in the fallout. At tcap.blog, we’ve long called out this corporate bullshit, where execs like Linebarger tout sustainability while their factories churn out planet-killers. This 2022 speech wasn’t a slip-up; it was hubris, a CEO so confident in his company’s untouchability that he all but admitted the scam in front of the President.
The Irony of “Leadership”
Linebarger went on to say that acting quickly established Cummins’ “leadership position” and created jobs, even exporting these so-called technologies worldwide. Leadership? Try complicity. By “moving first,” Cummins wasn’t innovating for a cleaner future; they were rigging the game to keep selling dirty diesels longer, all while regulations tightened. The Clean Air Act was meant to protect us, not provide a loophole for cheats. Yet here was Linebarger, urging Congress to pass more green legislation, as if his firm hadn’t been undermining similar rules for years.
And the kicker? He stressed that corporations need “globally competitive tax policies” to thrive. Translation: don’t tax us too hard, or we can’t afford to keep cheating. It’s the same old song from polluters – wrap your greed in patriotism and job creation, then act shocked when the fines roll in. For communities choking on NOx pollution, this isn’t abstract; it’s asthma attacks, premature deaths, and a climate crisis accelerated by hypocrites like these.
The Billion-Dollar Reckoning
Of course, the house of cards collapsed. In December 2023, Cummins reached an agreement in principle with the US government and California to pay that eye-watering $1.675 billion – the largest Clean Air Act penalty ever. By January 2024, it was formalised, with the company not admitting wrongdoing but agreeing to recall and repair vehicles, plus fund mitigation projects. California alone clawed back $372 million, calling out the illegal defeat devices that bypassed emissions controls.
Linebarger’s 2022 words now look like prophecy – or pre-emptive damage control. He knew decarbonisation was coming globally, and urged the US to “lead” by investing now. But lead with what? More rigged engines? This settlement exposes the rot: Cummins wasn’t building a sustainable future; they were profiting from deception, all while CEOs schmoozed in DC.
Complicity in the Climate Fight
At tcap.blog, we’re not buying the green facade. Linebarger’s White House appearance wasn’t about saving the planet; it was about securing tax breaks and infrastructure cash to prop up a business model built on emissions evasion. Calling defeat devices “necessary” isn’t a gaffe – it’s a window into the mindset of an industry that views regulations as obstacles to game, not guardrails for humanity.
The Build Back Better Act fizzled, but the climate crisis rages on. Cummins’ complicity here is a stark reminder: big polluters will preach virtue while practising vice, unless we hold them accountable. Linebarger’s “confession” should be a rallying cry – time to demand real change, not more corporate sleight-of-hand. Fuck the hypocrisy; let’s build a world where “necessary technologies” mean clean air, not cheats.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project
Sources:
- Cummins Inc. Press Release, 26 January 2022
- US EPA: 2024 Cummins Inc. Vehicle Emission Control Violations Settlement
- MotorTrend: Cummins Hit With Nearly $2B Penalty in Emissions Cheating Fiasco
- US Department of Justice: Attorney General Merrick Garland Statement on the Agreement in Principle with Cummins
- Reuters: Cummins agrees to record-setting fine in emissions settlement
- California Air Resources Board: California Attorney General Bonta and CARB announce $372 million settlement with engine manufacturer Cummins Inc.