California Air Resources Board

Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company Settles For $119,000

In October 2019, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) settled a case for $119,000 with Tesoro Refining and Marketing Company (Tesoro) related to a reformulated gasoline violation at their refinery in Carson, California.  Tesoro was penalized for violating the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulation (CaRFG) as codified in California Code of Regulations (CCR), title 13, sections 2250-2273.5, et seq. (13 CCR § 2250-2273.5); and specifically, CaRFG section 2265 and 2268.

CARB Enforcement Division staff discovered the violation after conducting routine sampling at the Carson Refinery.  Analysis of the sampling revealed an olefin content that exceeded the limit reported on a Predictive Model (PM) submitted by Tesoro.  The olefin content that exceeded the specification was the result of a calculation error due to a malfunction of Tesoro’s laboratory instrument.

Once Tesoro was aware of the problem, they updated their standard operating procedures and re-submitted a modified PM.  Factors that influenced their penalty included Tesoro’s full cooperation with CARB’s investigation to meet California’s regulatory requirements to be in compliance, and their compliance history.

Tesoro agreed to pay $59,500 to the California Air Pollution Control Fund and $59,500 to the South Coast Air Quality Management District to fund the Supplemental Environmental Project Installation of Air Filtration Systems in Schools in the South Coast Air Basin. 

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