Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. Case Settlement
Contact
Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. Case Settles for $28,125
Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. based in Turlock, California will pay $28,125 in penalties for violating air quality regulations: $28,125 will go to the Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality. This settlement was reached in September 2018.
This case was initiated based on the SMART audit streamlined process, which indicated the company was out of compliance with California Air Resources Board (CARB) Regulations. The investigation showed that Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. failed to bring six of their heavy-duty diesel trucks into compliance with the applicable in-use performance standards as required by the Truck and Bus (TB) Regulation as codified in California Code of Regulations, title 13, section 2025. Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. also failed to report all required information for six vehicles in the fleet, as required by the TB Regulation. Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. also failed to demonstrate compliance with Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP) which requires owners and operators of California based vehicle fleets of two or more heavy-duty diesel motor vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating greater than 6,000 pounds that operate on the streets or highways with the State of California to conduct annual smoke opacity inspections of their vehicles equipped with engines that are four years old or older(13 CCR § 2190 et seq.).
The penalty obtained for the TB violations involved in this case, for failure to meet the requirements of the reporting schedule for vehicles, is $3,000 or $500 per vehicle per violation for six vehicles. The penalty obtained for failing to meet the in-use performance standards in the TB regulations is $12,000 or $3,000 per vehicle per violation for four vehicles. Through a combination of truck retirements and replacements, Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. has agreed to demonstrate full compliance with TB regulation by December 31, 2018. The penalty obtained for the PSIP violation in this case is $7,125 for 19 violations involving 19 vehicles or $375 per vehicle per violations. CARB documented the violations as related to the TB regulation and PSIP. To settle the case, Calwater Drilling Company, Inc. agreed to the $28,125 penalty and to comply with the TB, PSIP and other CARB programs.