Western Farm Settlement
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$114,000 in Fines Paid by Western Farm
The Air Resources Board fined a Fresno, Calif.-based farm service company $114,000 last week for failing to inspect its truck fleet for diesel emission violations in 2006 and 2007 throughout the Valley. The company distributes farm products, including seeds and fungicides. Violations occurred in the following facilities: Greenfield, Salinas, Bakersfield, Watsonville, San Jacinto, Riverside, Visalia, Walnut Grove, Firebaugh, Five Points, Hollister, Merced, Delano, Vernalis, Modesto and Imperial. An ARB investigation revealed that Western Farm did not comply with the state’s Periodic Smoke Inspection Program in 2006-2007 which ensures that trucks in California meet health-based emission requirements. The settlement amount will be distributed to the Air Pollution Control Fund at $85,500 with the remaining $28,500 paid to the Peralta Community Colleges for a program that trains diesel fleet staff on compliance with ARB diesel programs. ARB’s periodic smoke inspection program requires the owners and operators of California-based trucks and fleets of two or more heavy-duty diesel motor vehicles to annually inspect the smoke opacity of their vehicles that are four years older than the model year of that vehicle’s engine.