§ 91.511 - Suspension and revocation of certificates of conformity.

§ 91.511 Suspension and revocation of certificates of conformity.

(a) The certificate of conformity is automatically suspended with respect to any engine failing pursuant to paragraph (a) of § 91.510 effective from the time that testing of that engine is completed.

(b) The Administrator may suspend the certificate of conformity for an engine family which is determined to be in noncompliance pursuant to § 90.510(b). This suspension will not occur before fifteen days after the engine family is determined to be in noncompliance.

(c) If the results of testing pursuant to these regulations indicate that engines of a particular family produced at one plant of a manufacturer do not conform to the regulations with respect to which the certificate of conformity was issued, the Administrator may suspend the certificate of conformity with respect to that family for engines manufactured by the manufacturer at all other plants.

(d) Notwithstanding the fact that engines described in the application for certification may be covered by a certificate of conformity, the Administrator may suspend such certificate immediately in whole or in part if the Administrator finds any one of the following infractions to be substantial:

(1) The manufacturer refuses to comply with any of the requirements of this subpart.

(2) The manufacturer submits false or incomplete information in any report or information provided to the Administrator under this subpart.

(3) The manufacturer renders inaccurate any test data submitted under this subpart.

(4) An EPA enforcement officer is denied the opportunity to conduct activities authorized in this subpart and a warrant or court order is presented to the manufacturer or the party in charge of the facility in question.

(5) An EPA enforcement officer is unable to conduct activities authorized in § 91.505 because a manufacturer has located its facility in a foreign jurisdiction where local law prohibits those activities.

(e) The Administrator shall notify the manufacturer in writing of any suspension or revocation of a certificate of conformity in whole or in part. A suspension or revocation is effective upon receipt of the notification or fifteen days from the time an engine family is determined to be in noncompliance pursuant to § 91.510(b), whichever is later, except that the certificate is immediately suspended with respect to any failed engines as provided for in paragraph (a) of this section.

(f) The Administrator may revoke a certificate of conformity for an engine family after the certificate has been suspended pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the proposed remedy for the nonconformity, as reported by the manufacturer to the Administrator, is one requiring a design change or changes to the engine and/or emission control system as described in the application for certification of the affected engine family.

(g) Once a certificate has been suspended for a failed engine, as provided for in paragraph (a) of this section, the manufacturer must take the following actions before the certificate is reinstated for that failed engine:

(1) Remedy the nonconformity;

(2) Demonstrate that the engine conforms to the Family Emission Limit by retesting the engine in accordance with these regulations; and

(3) Submit a written report to the Administrator, after successful completion of testing on the failed engine, which contains a description of the remedy and test results for each engine in addition to other information that may be required by this part.

(h) Once a certificate for a failed engine family has been suspended pursuant to paragraph (b), (c) or (d) of this section, the manufacturer must take the following actions before the Administrator will consider reinstating the certificate:

(1) Submit a written report to the Administrator which identifies the reason for the noncompliance of the engines, describes the proposed remedy, including a description of any proposed quality control and/or quality assurance measures to be taken by the manufacturer to prevent future occurrences of the problem, and states the date on which the remedies will be implemented.

(2) Demonstrate that the engine family for which the certificate of conformity has been suspended does in fact comply with the regulations of this part by testing as many engines as needed so that the CumSum statistic, as calculated in § 91.508(a), falls below the action limit. Such testing must comply with the provisions of this part. If the manufacturer elects to continue testing individual engines after suspension of a certificate, the certificate is reinstated for any engine actually determined to be in conformance with the Family Emission Limits through testing in accordance with the applicable test procedures, provided that the Administrator has not revoked the certificate pursuant to paragraph (f) of this section.

(i) Once the certificate has been revoked for an engine family, if the manufacturer desires to continue introduction into commerce of a modified version of that family, the following actions must be taken before the Administrator may issue a certificate for that modified family:

(1) If the Administrator determines that the proposed change(s) in engine design may have an effect on emission performance deterioration, the Administrator shall notify the manufacturer, within five working days after receipt of the report in paragraph (h)(1) of this section, whether subsequent testing under this subpart will be sufficient to evaluate the proposed change or changes or whether additional testing will be required; and

(2) After implementing the change or changes intended to remedy the nonconformity, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the modified engine family does in fact conform with the regulations of this part by testing as many engines as needed from the modified engine family so that the CumSum statistic, as calculated in § 91.508(a) using the newly assigned FEL if applicable, falls below the action limit. When both of these requirements are met, the Administrator shall reissue the certificate or issue a new certificate, as the case may be, to include that family. As long as the CumSum statistic remains above the action limit, the revocation remains in effect.

(j) At any time subsequent to a suspension of a certificate of conformity for a test engine pursuant to paragraph (a) of this section, but not later than 15 days (or such other period as may be allowed by the Administrator) after notification of the Administrator's decision to suspend or revoke a certificate of conformity in whole or in part pursuant to paragraphs (b), (c), or (f) of this section, a manufacturer may request a hearing as to whether the tests have been properly conducted or any sampling methods have been properly applied.

(k) Any suspension of a certificate of conformity under paragraph (d) of this section:

(1) Shall be made only after the manufacturer concerned has been offered an opportunity for a hearing conducted in accordance with §§ 91.512, 91.513, and 91.514 and

(2) Need not apply to engines no longer in the possession of the manufacturer.

(l) After the Administrator suspends or revokes a certificate of conformity pursuant to this section and prior to the commencement of a hearing under § 91.512, if the manufacturer demonstrates to the Administrator's satisfaction that the decision to suspend or revoke the certificate was based on erroneous information, the Administrator shall reinstate the certificate.

(m) To permit a manufacturer to avoid storing non-test engines while conducting subsequent testing of the noncomplying family, a manufacturer may request that the Administrator conditionally reinstate the certificate for that family. The Administrator may reinstate the certificate subject to the following condition: the manufacturer must commit to recall all engines of that family produced from the time the certificate is conditionally reinstated if the CumSum statistic does not fall below the action limit and must commit to remedy any nonconformity at no expense to the owner.