SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board fined Clougherty Packing/Farmer John, of Los Angeles, $63,300 last month for failure to comply with diesel truck emission requirements.

ARB inspectors found that Farmer John failed to file a one-time report for its Vernon, Calif., distribution facility, violating the Transport Refrigeration Unit facilities regulation. Further, the company failed to inspect its diesel truck fleet for excess emissions in 2006 and 2007.

As a result of the penalty, Farmer John must:

• Submit delinquent transport refrigeration facility reports;
• Ensure that staff responsible for compliance with the diesel truck emission inspection program attend diesel education courses and provide certificates of completion within one year;
• Instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state's idling regulations;
• Complete heavy-duty diesel engine software and control technology upgrades in compliance with regulations;
• Supply all smoke inspection records to ARB for the next four years; and
• Properly label engines to ensure compliance with the engine emissions certification program regulations.

Facilities with 20 or more cold storage loading docks are required to monitor, keep records and report activities that create emissions, including diesel-powered refrigeration units mounted on trucks, trailers, shipping containers and rail cars. These activities take place during the loading and unloading of perishables goods at distribution centers around the state.

Annual diesel trucks inspections are designed to make sure that California emissions standards are met. Failing to conduct these inspections can lead to an increase of toxic diesel particulate matter and smog-forming nitrogen oxides into the air.

The California Air Pollution Control Fund, established to mitigate various sources of pollution through education and the advancement and use of cleaner technology, will receive $47,475 and the Peralta Community College District will get $15,825 from Farmer John to fund diesel education courses at five community college campuses around the state.