Pacific Petroleum Settlement
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Pacific Petroleum Case Settles for $21,000
The California Air Resources Board fined Pacific Petroleum $21,000 last month for emissions violations during 2006 and 2007. An ARB investigation showed Pacific Petroleum failed to properly inspect its diesel vehicles for smoke emissions at its Santa Maria, Calif., terminal. As part of the settlement, Pacific Petroleum is required to guarantee employees responsible for conducting the inspections attend a California community college training class on diesel emissions compliance testing and provide certificates of completion within one year, provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being carried out for the next four years, ensure all of the company's on-road heavy-duty diesel engines have their software updated with the latest low-NOx (oxides of nitrogen emissions) programming, instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state's idling regulations, comply with requirements of the fleet rule for transit agencies, and ensure that all on-road diesel engines are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an emissions control certification label. Pacific Petroleum paid $21,000 in penalties: $15,750 went to the California Air Pollution Control Fund for projects and research to improve California's air quality. The Peralta Community College District received $2,625 to fund emissions education classes conducted by participating California community colleges; and, the remaining $2,625 went to the California Pollution Control Financing Authority which guarantees loans to off-road vehicle fleets that need to buy exhaust retrofits to comply with state regulations.