SACRAMENTO – The Air Resources Board closed over 3,400 enforcement actions totaling nearly $30 million in penalties against entities doing business in California in 2007, a five-fold increase over 2006 penalties that resulted in more than 100 tons of emissions reductions.

State enforcers closed 3,442 cases, collecting $29.8 million in fines. Three of the cases - Sierra Pacific Industries, Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA and the Evergreen Pulp Mill in Humboldt County - accounted for $21 million of the overall penalties assessed. Most of the money collected was used for localized emissions reductions programs and to train workers in complying with state air pollution regulations.

"Businesses that play by the rules and meet their pollution control requirements obligations can rest assured that we are catching and fining those that don't," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "Our rules aimed at cleaning California's skies are only effective if they are enforced. With an estimated 93 percent of our population still living in areas that fail to meet federal health standards, we must continue to do all that we can to ensure our factories, vehicles, engines and consumer products meet our stringent requirements."

Over the course of the year, ARB staff inspected over:

• 20,000 heavy duty vehicles;
• 1,500 commercial vehicles and school buses;
• 1,900 locomotives;
• 1,900 cargo tanks;
• 2,500 consumer products;
• 1,900 trash trucks; and
• 9,900 heavy duty diesel vehicles in low income communities.

Additionally, inspectors checked the quality of more than 915 million gallons of gasoline and 350 million gallons of diesel. ARB continues to add more resources to its enforcement staff to ensure that business and industry complies with state air pollution laws, including several newly adopted and proposed measures to reduce diesel emissions from trucks and marine equipment.

 ARB's 2007 enforcement accomplishments

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