TOP AIR POLLUTERS

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has responsibility to control air pollution in the area. It has the power to fine polluters from $25 to $25,000 a day based on such factors as the extent that emissions exceed legal limits, the potential danger to the public, whether the violation was intentional or accidental and the company’s history of violations. These are the 10 highest penalties paid to the district in September:

Company Type of Business Penalty Fletcher Oil & Refining Oil $71,700 Co., Carson Texaco Producing, Inc., Oil 13,800 Seal Beach Hugo Neu-Proler Co., Scrap Metal 10,200 Terminal Island Imperial Metal Finishing, Metal Finishing 10,000 Los Angeles Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Brewery 4,400 Van Nuys Allan’s Mini Market, Gasoline Sales 2,300 Lawndale maintain vapor recovery system Challenger Electrical Electrical 2,250 Equipment Corp., Equipment Los Angeles Keysor-Century Corp., Record Mfgr. 1,500 Saugus Bent Manufacturing Co., Rubber/Plastic Mfg. 1,400 Compton Hickory Sweet Meats, Meat 1,400 Inc., Los Angeles Processing

Company Violation Fletcher Oil & Refining Excessive sulfur content in Co., Carson gasoline Texaco Producing, Inc., Excessive hydrocarbons/failure to Seal Beach maintain vapor recovery system Hugo Neu-Proler Co., Excessive odors and Terminal Island visible emissions Imperial Metal Finishing, Excessive hydrocarbons from Los Angeles metal-coating operation Anheuser-Busch, Inc., Failure to obtain permit to operate Van Nuys Allan’s Mini Market, Excessive hydrocarbons/failure to Lawndale maintain vapor recovery system Challenger Electrical Excessive hydrocarbons from Equipment Corp., metal-coating operation Los Angeles Keysor-Century Corp., Excessive vinyl chloride emissions Saugus Bent Manufacturing Co., Excessive hydrocarbons/failure to Compton maintain vapor recovery system Hickory Sweet Meats, Excessive visible emissions Inc., Los Angeles