SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board last month fined a Petaluma, Calif. company $20,000 for failing to inspect its diesel trucks for compliance with the state’s smoke emissions standards.

ARB investigators found that Golden State Lumber, Inc. failed to conduct diesel truck smoke tests between 2007 and 2008 as required by state law.

“Diesel particulate matter is a hazard to all Californians,” said ARB Enforcement Chief Jim Ryden. “By taking steps to reduce soot emissions, companies that operate in the state help clean the air.”

Under the penalty, Golden State Lumber must:

• 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.

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 $15,000, and the remaining $5,000 will go to the Peralta Community College District to fund diesel education classes around the state.

Failure to inspect diesel vehicles can lead to an increase in harmful airborne particles that Californians breathe. In 1998, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. Exposure to diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases, and premature deaths.