ARB fines nine companies under greenhouse gas law

State officials have fined nine companies for violating California’s greenhouse gas law, which requires facilities to annually report their emissions.

The fines totaled $285,000, with the largest single penalty, $120,000, levied against ExxonMobil, the Air Resources Board announced.

“Accurate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is the foundation of our efforts to reduce carbon pollution from the state’s energy and industrial sectors,” ARB Chairwoman Mary D. Nichols said in a written statement. “We will continue to vigorously enforce the mandatory reporting rule to ensure that every company follows all its requirements.”

The companies that were fined were cited for failing to supply complete information by deadlines set for reporting or verification stages, according to the ARB.

California’s Mandatory Reporting Rule, adopted by ARB in 2007, requires facilities that emit more than 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually to report their emissions. About 600 facilities have been reporting their greenhouse gas emissions to the Air Resources Board since 2008.

The reporting compliance rate for 2012 was at 97 percent, the ARB said.

Company reports are checked for accuracy and verified by independent third parties, which are trained and overseen by ARB staff. The reports are published each fall on the ARB website.

The other fines announced Friday included:
–DG Fairhaven Power, LLC ; $55,000
–Vintage Production California, LLC; $35,000
–Pacific Gas & Electric Co., $20,000
–Veneco, Inc., $20,000
–Cemex Construction Materials, LLC; $15,000
–Lehigh Southwest Cement Co., $10,000
–Lhoist North America of Arizona, Inc. $10,000