The us Environmental Protection Agency (usepa) has slapped European energy giants Royal Dutch Shell Plc and bp Plc with a combined fine of us $1.5 million on charges of distributing petrol that did not meet the country's legal pollution standards.

The usepa sets standards for petrol and diesel under the Clean Air Act to reduce pollutants, including particulates and carbon monoxide. Both the companies failed to meet these standards between 1999 and 2004 at retail outlets, distribution terminals and refineries, the usepa said. The companies reported about some of the failures, while the others were discovered during usepa investigations.