U.S. House Panel Wants to See Report on VW Diesel Reforms

A U.S. House of Representatives panel is demanding access to a report that criticizes Volkswagen AG’s progress in changing its compliance culture to avoid another emission cheating scandal.

The demand comes from Lamar Smith (R-Tex.), who chairs the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, Automotive News reports. Smith requested a copy of the report in April as part of a broad probe into the ability of carmakers worldwide to meet tightening emission standards.

The progress report was created by Larry Thompson, a former U.S. deputy attorney general. He was appointed as an independent monitor of VW’s reforms as part of a 2016 settlement between the carmaker and the Justice Dept.

German media reported in April that Thompson’s update to the Justice Dept. criticized VW’s lack of commitment to addressing its problems. He has rebuffed the House committee’s request for a copy of the report, citing privacy stipulations in the settlement. Smith argues that his committee routinely handles private and classified data in the course of its investigations.