SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board has fined a Cameron Park, Calif., propane distributor $36,375 this month for diesel truck emission violations.

An ARB audit of Suburban Propane found that the company did not annually inspect its heavy- duty diesel vehicles in 2006 and 2007 at fleet centers in Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Redding, Yreka, Grass Valley, Clearlake, Lancaster, Santa Cruz, Marina, Turlock, Oakhurst, Fresno, Escondido, Lake Isabella, San Jose and Concord.

"ARB's diesel inspection program keeps dirty trucks off the roadways so communities can breathe easier," said ARB Chief Counsel Ellen Peter. "We will continue to ferret out and assess penalties against companies failing to inspect their vehicles."

As part of the settlement, Suburban Propane must comply with the following:

• Guarantee employees that are responsible for conducting the inspections attend a mandatory 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;
• Revise truck engine software with the latest Low-NOx programming; and,
• Ensure that all diesel trucks are up to federal emissions standards for the vehicle model year and are properly labeled with an engine certification label.

The company will pay $36,375 in penalties: $27,281.25 will go to the California Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality, with the remaining $9,093.75 going to Peralta Community College District to fund emission education classes.

A decade ago, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. Exposure to unsafe levels of diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis, and other respiratory diseases. California has aggressively worked to cut diesel emissions by cleaning up diesel fuel, requiring cleaner engines for trucks, buses and off-road equipment, and limiting unnecessary idling.