SACRAMENTO, CA --- The California Air Resources Board fined the city of San Buenaventura, also known as Ventura, this month $8,500 for diesel emissions violations that occurred in 2006 and 2007.
An ARB investigator concluded that the city had not conducted annual inspections on some of its heavy-duty on-road diesel vehicles. Failing to conduct these inspections can lead to an increase of toxic air contaminants and diesel particulate matter in the air.
"California has long been stigmatized for its poor air quality," said ARB Enforcement Chief James Ryden. "When cities do not comply with clean air rules they are only adding to the problem."
The law requires owners of California-registered truck fleets to regularly inspect their vehicles to ensure that their engine emissions meet state air quality standards.
As part of the settlement, the city is required to:
Guarantee employees responsible for conducting the inspections attend a mandatory California community college class on diesel emissions and provide certificates of completion within one year
Provide documentation to ARB that the inspections are being carried out for the next four years
Instruct vehicle operators to comply with the state's idling regulations
Revise all heavy-duty truck engine software with the latest low-NOx (oxides of nitrogen emissions) programming
Ensure that all diesel trucks are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an emission control label.
