TOP AIR POLLUTION PENALTIES

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has responsibility for controlling air pollution in the area. It has the power to seek court-imposed fines against polluters of 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 in July:

COMPANY TYPE OF BUSINESS PENALTY Northrop Corp., Aerospace firm $110,000 Advanced Systems Division Pico Rivera Los Angeles Soap Co. Detergent $20,000 Los Angeles manufacturer Film Processing Corp. Film Products $17,500 Los Angeles manufactuer Fuqua Homes Inc. Mobile-home $6,500 Corona manufacturer Southern Pacific Railroad $4,000 Transportation Bloomington Central Plants Inc. heating and $3,800 Commerce, fullerton, cooling Huntington Beach sites systems supplier Beelner & Thomas Furniture $3,300 Monrovia manufacturer Trico Industries Inc. Water pipe $2,500 Torance, Gardena sites maker Western Tube & Pipe maker $2,500 Conduit Carson Matrix Science Corp. Plastic $1,600 Torrance products manufacturer

COMPANY VIOLATION Northrop Corp., Excessive emissions Advanced Systems from painting Division operations; failure to Pico Rivera obtain proper permits; failure to maintain emission records; improper use of ovens Los Angeles Soap Co. Excessive particulate Los Angeles emissions due to improper operation of pollution control equipment Film Processing Corp. Excessive Los Angeles hydrocarbons from coating operation; operating equipment without valid permits Fuqua Homes Inc. Failure to obtain Corona proper permitts and keep emission records; improper operation of paint spray gun Southern Pacific Excessive smoke from Transportation locomotives Bloomington Central Plants Inc. Failure to submit Commerce, fullerton, emissions control Huntington Beach sites plans Beelner & Thomas Improper operation of Monrovia equipment Trico Industries Inc. Excessive Torance, Gardena sites hydrocarbons from painting opeation; improper operation of a spray booth exhaust system Western Tube & Excessive Conduit hydrocarbons from Carson improper coating operation Matrix Science Corp. Failure to obtain Torrance proper permits