TOP AIR POLLUTION PENALTIES

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has responsibility to control air pollution. It can 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, potential danger to the public, whether the violation was intentional, accidental or due to negligence and the company’s history of violations. These are the 10 top penalties in September: COMPANY Fleetwood Enterprises Riverside TYPE OF BUSINESS Mobile and motor home manufacturer PENALTY $75,000 VIOLATIONExcessive hydrocarbons from coating operations; failure to install a vapor recovery system on gasoline equipment. COMPANY Prestige Stations Cerritos TYPE OF BUSINESS Gasoline storage and dispensing facility PENALTY $65,000 VIOLATIONFailure to properly maintain vapor recovery equipment; failure to pay permit fees at various gasstations. COMPANY Southwest Aerospace Corp. Santa Ana TYPE OF BUSINESS Aerospace firm PENALTY $60,000 VIOLATIONUsing a photochemically reactive solvent in a spray-painting booth in violation of permit conditions. COMPANY Thrifty Oil Co. Downey TYPE OF BUSINESS Gasoline storage and dispensing facility PENALTY $42,000 VIOLATIONFailure to properly maintain vapor recovery equipment on gas pumps; failure to provide proof of calibration on gas pumps. COMPANY Toyota Auto Body of Calif. Long Beach TYPE OF BUSINESS Truck assembly plant PENALTY $16,000 VIOLATIONPublic nuisance violation due to paint odors. COMPANY Security Metal Products Hawthorne TYPE OF BUSINESS Metal door and frame manufacturer PENALTY $8,000 VIOLATIONUse of a noncompliance coating in a spray-painting booth; operating a spray-painting booth without a valid permit. COMPANY Barcel Wire and Cable Corp. Irvine TYPE OF BUSINESS Wire coating facility PENALTY $7,500 VIOLATIONFailure to obtain a permit to operate two wire coaters; exceeding paint usage limits on six wirecoaters. COMPANY Chevron U.S.A., Production Dept. Huntington Beach TYPE OF BUSINESS Crude oil production facility PENALTY $7,500 VIOLATIONPublic nuisance violation due to release of organic vapors. COMPANY Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga TYPE OF BUSINESS Junior college PENALTY $6,000 VIOLATIONFailure to submit an AQMD-approved ride-sharing plan. COMPANY Kirkhill Rubber Brea TYPE OF BUSINESS Custom-made rubber products manufacturer PENALTY $5,000 VIOLATIONFailure to vent a rubber-curing system through an air pollution control system; failure to properly maintain emissions-control equipment.