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 May: COMPANY: Stewart Filmscreen Corp. Torrance TYPE OF BUSINESS: Movie screen maker PENALTY: $55,000 VIOLATION: Excessive reactive organic gas emissions from solvents used in making projection screens. COMPANY: Western Fuel Oil Co. San Pedro TYPE OF BUSINESS: Bulk loading terminal PENALTY: $54,400 VIOLATION: Excessive organic gas emissions from an improperly operating flare. COMPANY: Texaco Refining & Marketing Wilmington TYPE OF BUSINESS: Refinery PENALTY: $40,850 VIOLATION: Excessive hydrocarbons from numerous violations of emissions rules. COMPANY: Micropolis Corp. Chatsworth TYPE OF BUSINESS: Disc drive maker PENALTY: $35,000 VIOLATION: Failure to implement an AQMD-approved ride-sharing plan, failure to file an annual plan update. Company agreed to spend an additional $15,000 to promote ride-sharing and other trip-reduction efforts among its employees. COMPANY: Texaco Refining & Marketing Wilmington TYPE OF BUSINESS: Refinery PENALTY: $24,000 VIOLATION: Leaking valves on various dates. COMPANY: Composites Unlimited Irvine TYPE OF BUSINESS: Aerospace parts coating PENALTY: $17,500 VIOLATION: Excessive hydrocarbons from exceeding permit usage limits in coating operations. COMPANY: Southern California Gas Co. Playa Del Rey TYPE OF BUSINESS: Utility PENALTY: $17,000 VIOLATION: Improperly venting organic vapors intermittently from a tank. COMPANY: Continental Airlines Los Angeles TYPE OF BUSINESS: Airline PENALTY: $11,000 VIOLATION: Excessive hydrocarbons from solvent usage in two vapor de-greasers. COMPANY: Embassy Suites Hotel Irvine TYPE OF BUSINESS: Hotel PENALTY: $10,000 VIOLATION: Failure to submit an AQMD-approved ride-sharing plan. COMPANY: Harken Marketing Houston, Tex. TYPE OF BUSINESS: Gas stations/mini markets PENALTY: $10,000 VIOLATION: Improperly excavating soil contaminated with volatile organic compounds at an Indio service station, causing release of organic gases into the air.
