East Brainerd Lumber site sells for $1.8 million
The former East Brainerd Lumber and Supply Co. property on Lee Highway has been sold for $1.8 million.
The 21-acre tract at 6001 Lee Highway was bought by A2 PlusT LLC, according to real estate records.
Russell Elliott, of Pointe Commercial Real Estate, said the new owner plans to clean up the site, make use of existing structures and rent out the space. He declined to name the buyers.
He said the property is zoned M-1 and is close to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport.
“There are a lot of good things” about the property, Elliott said.
Chrysler sued over diesel emission tests
The U.S. government is suing Fiat Chrysler, alleging that some diesel pickup trucks and Jeep SUVs cheat on emissions tests.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday by the Justice Department marks the second time the government has gone after an automaker alleging use of software on diesel engines that allows them to emit more pollution on the road than during Environmental Protection Agency lab testing.
Last year, the government accused Volkswagen of cheating on tests, and the company ended up pleading guilty to criminal charges in a scandal that cost VW more than $20 billion in the U.S. alone.
In the latest case, the government alleges that FCA put eight “software-based features” on diesel engines in nearly 104,000 Ram pickups and Jeep Grand Cherokees from the 2014 to 2016 model years. The software allowed the vehicles to emit fewer pollutants during lab tests by Environmental Protection Agency than during normal driving conditions.
The 3-liter FCA diesels emit nitrogen oxide at a much higher rate than allowed under federal laws when on the road, the EPA says in a statement. The company failed to disclose the software during the process to become certified so the vehicles can be sold, according to the EPA. The agency called the software a “defeat device” that changes the way the vehicles perform on treadmill tests in a laboratory.
“Each of these vehicles differs materially from the specifications provided to EPA in the certification applications,” the statement said. “Thus the cars are uncertified, in violation of the Clean Air Act.”
Trump names Svinicki to head nuclear agency
President Donald Trump has selected Kristine Svinicki, chairwoman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, to lead the panel for another five years.
Trump had previously named her to lead the five-member panel through June. Svinicki, a Republican and a nuclear engineer, has served on the commission since 2008.
Trump also nominated two other Republicans to fill out the commission: Annie Caputo, a Senate aide and former Exelon executive, and former South Carolina Public Service Commission Chairman David Wright. All three appointments require confirmation by the Senate.
The NRC oversees the nation’s fleet of commercial nuclear power plants, as well as storage and disposal of nuclear waste and other issues related to nuclear power.
Svinicki has worked at the Energy Department and as a GOP aide to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Target to pay $18.5 million over 2013 data breach
Target Corp. will pay $18.5 million to 47 states and the District of Columbia as part of a settlement over a 2013 data breach that compromised tens of millions of customers’ credit and debit card information.
Alabama, Wisconsin and Wyoming were the only states not part of the settlement announced Tuesday.
As part of the settlement, the Minneapolis-based retailer will also be required to employ an executive to manage a “comprehensive information security program” and advise the company’s chief executive and its board of directors, according to a statement from the office of the California attorney general.
Target will also need to hire an independent third party to do a comprehensive security assessment, according to a statement from the New York attorney general’s office.
Target will also need to add other cybersecurity measures, including encrypting payment card information so the data are useless if stolen, separating its cardholder data from the rest of its computer network, and instituting password rotation policies and two-factor authentication for certain accounts.
Target said it was “pleased to bring this issue to a resolution for everyone involved.” The retailer added that the costs associated with this settlement were “already reflected in the data breach liability reserves that Target has previously recognized and disclosed.”
The 2013 data breach led to the resignation of longtime Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel.