California Air Resources Board

SACRAMENTO - The Air Resources Board announced that O’Reilly Automotive, a specialty retailer of automotive aftermarket parts, equipment and accessories, and Technical Chemical Company, a manufacturer of automotive chemicals and products, paid a combined total of $63,000 to settle clean air violations.

Between December 2008 and May 2009, O’Reilly automotive sold O’Reilly Carb & Choke Cleaner, a consumer product that contained chemicals that contribute to the formation of smog that exceeded the limit for Carburetor Cleaners for cars in California. The product was manufactured for O’Reilly by Technical Chemical. Technical Chemical manufactured the product containing more smog-forming chemicals than permitted in California for sale outside the state, however, a labeling mistake led to the sale of the non-compliant product in California. Since O’Reilly and Technical Chemical were both responsible for the violation, the penalty was split between the two parties. 
 
“The Air Resources Board is diligent in taking the necessary actions to limit these smog-forming chemicals in automotive products that consumers use,” said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden.

Under the settlement, a payment of $31,500 each from O’Reilly and Technical Chemical (half of $63,000 penalty) was paid directly to the California Air Pollution Control Fund as civil penalties.  In addition, both companies agreed that they would not sell, supply, offer for sale, or manufacture for sale in California any consumer product in violation of California’s standards for carburetor cleaners.

For more information on ARB’s consumer products regulations, see: https://www.arb.ca.gov/consprod/consprod.htm