SACRAMENTO - The Air Resources Board announced today that during the second quarter of 2011 it settled 37 cases of air quality violations, mostly by trucks and buses for failure to properly conduct and pass self-inspections aimed at measuring vehicle smoke emissions to ensure state requirements are met.

Of the $223,295.00 collected, approximately $172,000 went to the California Air Pollution Control Fund to support air quality projects and research to improve California's air quality.  Roughly $52,000 went to the Peralta Community College District to fund emission education classes at participating California community colleges under the California Council for Diesel Education and Technology program.

“Businesses play a vital role in environmental protection,” said Paul Jacobs, Chief of ARB’s Mobile Source Enforcement Branch.  “We work hard to establish and maintain good relationships so that we can educate business owners and keep them updated.  However, if errors are made and air quality suffers as a result, we are required to take action.”  

Fines totaled $223,295.00; none from this group exceeded $30,000.  The five companies paying the highest amounts were:

• County of Imperial, Department of Public Works, fined $27,000.00 for failure to properly self-inspect its diesel trucks to assure the vehicles met state smoke emission standards, as required under the Periodic Smoke Inspection Program (PSIP).
• Marquez Brothers International Inc., fined $24,000 for failure to comply with diesel fleet self-inspection requirements, and for violations of the Transport Refrigeration Unit (TRU) regulation.
• Brotherhood Trucking Inc., fined $17,617.50 for failing to properly self-inspect its diesel fleets and  dispatching drayage trucks that either did not meet emission standards or were not entered into the Drayage Truck Registry.
• West Coast Refrigerated Trucking Inc., fined $15,750 for failing to properly inspect its diesel fleet and for not upgrading all its TRU engines as required by the TRU regulation.
• Peninsula Coast Joint Powers Board, fined $15,500 for failing to properly self-inspect its diesel fleet and for not meeting emissions requirements for NOx and PM as required by the Fleet Rule for Transit Agencies.

Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 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.

To read about other mobile source enforcement cases settled during the second quarter of 2011 please visit these links:

Genuine Scooters pays $300,000 for illegal sales

Reward Leasing Inc. pays $534,000 in air quality penalties