Kern Oil & Refining Co. Settlement 2
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Kern Oil & Refining Co. Settles For $36,000
In December 2020, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with Kern Oil & Refining Co. (Kern) in the amount of $36,000 related to a reformulated gasoline violation at their Bakersfield, California Refinery. Kern was penalized for failing to switch from Non-Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) controlled gasoline to RVP‑controlled gasoline after the regulatory-required transition date of April 1, 2020, in violation of the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulation (CaRFG), as codified in California Code of Regulations (CCR), title 13, sections 2250-2273.5, et seq. (13 CCR § 2250-2273.5); and specifically, CaRFG section 2262.
On March 27, 2020, Kern self-reported that they would not be able to meet the RVP transition deadline. To cooperate and mitigate harm from Kern’s inability to meet the transition deadline, Kern entered into an agreement with CARB to produce winter gasoline for no more than 18 days, collect and provide required retain samples, and report daily production information to CARB.
Factors that influenced the penalty included Kern’s full cooperation with CARB’s investigation, self-disclosing this violation, and having no previous violation of this type. Kern agreed to pay $36,000 to CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund.