H Mart, Inc. Settlement
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H Mart, Inc. Settles For $1,014,125
In November 2024, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with H Mart, Inc. (H Mart), with its principal location in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, for the company’s violations of the Management of High Global Warming Potential Refrigerants for Stationary Sources (RMP Regulation), as codified in the California Code of Regulations, title 17, section 95380 et seq, and Prohibitions on Use of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons in Stationary Refrigeration, Stationary Air-Conditioning, and Other End-Uses (HFC Regulation), under California Code of Regulations, title 17, section 95371 et seq.
In 2022, Enforcement Division staff investigated H Mart for outstanding annual reports in reporting years 2019-2022. These reports were missing information, including missed leak inspections and implementation fee payments, as required in the RMP Regulation. The investigation also revealed late leak repairs. Further, H Mart failed to submit annual reports on time as required by the HFC Regulation. This settlement is for RMP violations at five facilities outside South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD), and all HFC violations in 14 locations throughout the State.
H Mart came into compliance and cooperated with the investigation. H Mart settled for a total civil penalty of $1,014,125 for reporting years 2019-2022. This includes 18 counts of HFC violations in South Coast AQMD at $1,500 each. The remaining amount of $987,125 is for RMP and HFC violations outside of the South Coast air basin over an unspecified number of days. The total penalty amount will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality.