California Air Resources Board

Executive Summary of Enforcement Activities in 2024

CARB remains committed to continuing the important work of improving the state’s air quality and reducing harmful pollutants that contribute to poor health outcomes and worsen the impacts of climate change. The public health, air quality, and climate challenges that California faces require urgent action, and CARB addresses these challenges through innovative policies, technological advancements, and a commitment to equity ensuring all communities, especially those most vulnerable and most impacted, benefit from our effort. 

CARB’s enforcement program is a critical part of these efforts, taking action to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements so that the intended outcomes from CARB’s programs are achieved. Within this broader role, focusing enforcement efforts in communities disproportionately impacted by air pollution and/or burdened by high cumulative exposure remains a significant priority. Through our community-focused enforcement efforts, CARB Enforcement Division continues to partner with community members to understand their experience and priorities, and to help guide our enforcement activities to address pollution concerns. 

The information in the tabs below provides a summary of the work CARB has done in communities and across California, and the actions being taken in its enforcement programs. 

Highlights from 2024

Settling over 3,500 enforcement actions totaling over $33 million in penalties assessed including: 

• Settling with Amazon Logistics, Inc. in the amount of $3.2 million for the company’s violation of CARB’s Truck and Bus Regulation by failing to verify compliance of the trucks being hired. A portion of the penalty in the amount of $1.6 million was diverted to a Supplemental Environmental Project.
• Settling 15 cases involving violations of engine, parts, and vehicle certification requirements resulting in more than $8.9 million in penalties assessed. 
• Settling 20 cases involving non-compliant consumer products sold in California resulting in more than $1 million in penalties assessed.
• Settling with Best Energy Solutions & Technology Corp. (BEST Corp.) in the amount of $11.1 million for  violations of CARB’s Regulation on Commercialization of Alternative Diesel Fuels (ADF Regulation) by submitting a testing protocol to CARB that made it appear that the NOx emissions mitigation additive they were certifying met the emissions requirements of the regulation, when in fact the additive had no such effect. $10,940,000 of the penalty amount will be suspended so long as BEST Corp. does not violate settlement terms, and the company is prohibited from participating in California’s ADF or certified diesel fuel formulation market for 10 years.
• Settling two enforcement actions for approximately $2.6 million involving violations of CARB’s Management of High Global Warming Potential Refrigerants for Stationary Sources (Refrigerant Management Program or RMP) regulation and the Prohibitions on Use of Certain Hydrofluorocarbons in Stationary Refrigeration, Stationary Air-Conditioning, and Other End-Uses (HFC) regulation. A portion of the penalty in the amount of $796,250 was diverted to fund two Supplemental Environmental Projects.   
• Jointly with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), settling with Valero Refining Company for nearly $82 million for violations of BAAQMD regulations stemming from years of unreported emissions from the facility’s hydrogen system which contained harmful organic compounds. Nearly $80 million of the penalty will be redirected towards community projects aimed at reducing air pollution exposure, mitigating its impacts, and improving public health in surrounding areas. 

Additional Settlements:

• Settling with Yanmar Power Technology Co. Ltd. for over $16 million for  the incomplete reporting of an auxiliary emission control device and the use of incorrect test procedures for Yanmar engines used in transport refrigeration units in violation of CARB’s Off-Road Compression-Ignition Engines and Equipment Regulation, and for the production of engines that were not representative of the test engine used to obtain emissions certification from CARB in violation of CARB’s Off-Road Large Spark-Ignition Engines Regulation.
• Jointly with the California Attorney General, settling with Cummins, Inc. engine manufacturer for using illegal defeat devices to bypass vehicle emissions control equipment in diesel vehicles (approximately 97,000 engines in California and nearly 1 million vehicles nationwide). The state will receive $164 million in penalties and more than $175 million for mitigation, and the company has agreed to correct the affected engines at no cost to vehicle owners. 

Inspections, audits, and screenings: 

• Inspecting over 18,000 vehicles and marine vessels with 71% located in overburdened communities.
• Partnering with the California Department of Transportation, the California Highway Patrol, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture for the siting of additional stationary PEAQs units across California.  Four new stationary PEAQs units were deployed in Riverside, San Bernardino, Nevada, and Madera counties. These units will ensure heavy-duty vehicles operating in California are compliant with our Clean Truck Check program and other heavy-duty truck regulations.
• Conducting 65 mobile PEAQS deployments on roadsides and in communities across the State that screened 48,706 vehicles and resulted in 889 citations for non-compliance with heavy-duty diesel truck regulations.
• Conducting a statewide audit of all cargo handling equipment (CHE) in California pursuant to commitments made in two south Los Angeles Community Emission Reduction Programs (CERPs). The audit found a 100% compliance rate with the in-use engine standards, with 92% of inspections taking place in overburdened communities. 
• Coordinating with other local, state, and federal agencies to conduct joint inspections at 8 landfills throughout the state.

Other:

• Diverting $7.4 million in penalties to Supplemental Environmental Projects, including, $2.7 million to the Marine Vessel Speed Reduction Incentive Program that provides incentives to shipping companies to reduce speeds in specified zones during ozone season and peak whale season and $2.4 million to the El Sol Community Health Worker Learning Hub that aims to expand a digital platform that equips the community with educational modules on climate change, environmental health, while also leading community engagement with platform-based projects.
• Issuing more than 12,000 registrations from applications received and closed in 2024, for new and renewed portable engines and equipment units operating in the state to ensure compliance with emissions requirements.
• Establishing a community-focused enforcement (CFE) team within the Enforcement Division with the goal of continuing to build partnerships and developing action plans with communities disproportionately burdened by air pollution and high cumulative exposure to address concerns. 

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