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Common Core State Standard
SL.CCS.1/2/3/4 Grades 6-12: An essay of a current news event is provided for discussion to encourage participation, but also inspire the use of evidence to support logical claims using the main ideas of the article. Students must analyze background information provided about a current event within the news, draw out the main ideas and key details, and review different opinions on the issue. Then, students should present their own claims using facts and analysis for support. FOR THE WEEK OF SEP. 28, 2015 VW trickery on exhaust tests creates a cloud over all ‘clean diesel’ vehicles![]() ![]() See continuing coverage of VW and describe the latest impact or status.
![]() Find another business story of interest and tell why you pick it.
![]() Now read about any type of transportation in the news and summarize what you learn.
This sounds like a tech thriller movie, but actually is an automotive business story that involves ethics, the environment, huge penalties and a top executive's resignation. Here's the plot: Since 2009, Volkswagen put a special computer program in 482,000 "clean diesel" vehicles sold in America so that pollution controls only worked when being tested for emissions. The rest of the time, the cars released much larger amounts of smog-forming compounds – as much as 40 times more than U.S. rules allow. The firm admits that 11 million of its cars worldwide, mostly in Europe, also have "defeat devices" -- software to fool regulators. The scam was discovered in this country, where the Environmental Protection Agency announced two weeks ago that VW violated the Clean Air Act. The German-based carmaker faces potential U.S. fines of up to $18 billion – yes, billion – and must fix every affected diesel model of the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, and Passat. The Justice Department may press criminal charges. One casualty, besides the company's reputation, is chief executive Martin Winterkorn. He quit in embarrassment last week after nearly 10 years in charge. Car buyers and regulators now wonder if other companies played fair or also cheated, spreading doubts about whether "clean diesel" vehicles really are better for the environment. "This situation does have the possibility certainly of putting another doubt in the consumers’ minds about diesels," says Jeff Schuster, an industry specialist in Troy, Mich. Governments can make cheating harder. Starting with 2017 models, European regulators will require automakers to test passenger cars on the road in addition to in lab settings. That approach would've made Volkswagen's trickery tougher.
Front Page Talking Points is written by
Alan Stamm for NIEonline.com, Copyright 2024
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