Beverage distributor fined $116,400 for air quality violations
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SACRAMENTO - The Air Resources Board has fined DBI Beverage Inc. $116,400 for failure to comply with California air quality regulations.
A routine investigation by ARB’s Enforcement Division documented that DBI Beverage Inc. failed to properly self-inspect its diesel trucks in 2011 and 2012 as required by ARB’s Periodic Smoke Inspection Program to insure they met state smoke emission standards.
In addition, the company failed to properly affix Emission Control Labels on the engines of their fleet vehicles, and to report all required information for all vehicles in the fleet as required by the Statewide Truck and Bus Regulation for fleets electing to utilize the “phase-in” option to clean up their vehicles.
“While DBI Beverage Inc. did violate California’s air quality regulations, the company does not have a history of past violations, and its representatives were fully cooperative,” said ARB Enforcement Chief Jim Ryden. “It benefits all of us who live and work in California when air pollution rules are observed and enforced. DBI Beverage Inc. accepted responsibility for its actions and will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that its fleet complies with the state’s air quality regulations.”
The Tennessee-based company is a beverage distributor operating 185 heavy-duty diesel trucks, and is the corporate parent of companies operating eight distributorships in California.
DBI Beverage Inc. paid $87,300.00 to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality, and $29,100.00 to the Peralta Colleges Foundation to fund diesel education classes conducted by participating California community colleges under the California Council for Diesel Education and Technology Program.
Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and more than 40 other known cancer-causing compounds. In 1998, California identified diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death and other health problems.