Nine companies have been fined by the California Air Resources Board (ARB) for violations of the state’s Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Rule (the Reporting Rule) which requires facilities, including those covered by California’s cap-and-trade regulation, to report their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually. Adopted by ARB in 2007, the Reporting Rule 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 ARB since 2008.
Industrial facilities are required to report each April and utilities are required to do so each June. These reports are then checked for accuracy and verified by independent third parties with oversight by ARB staff. The reporting compliance rate for 2012 was 97%. Nine companies have been fined for failure to supply complete information by the appropriate deadlines for either the reporting or verification stages. In addition to paying these fines, the violators must provide ARB with plans for complete and accurate data collection and reporting in the future. The companies fined include:
· ExxonMobil Oil Corporation: $120,000
· DG Fairhaven Power: $55,000
· Vintage Production California: $35,000
· Pacific Gas & Electric: $20,000
· Veneco: $20,000
· Cemex Construction Materials: $15,000
· Lehigh Southwest Cement: $10,000
· Lhoist North America of Arizona: $10,000
· Tidelands Production: $10,000
With respect to GHG reporting, ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols said that: “Accurate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is the foundation of our efforts to reduce carbon pollution from the state’s energy and industrial sectors. We will continue to vigorously enforce the mandatory reporting rule to ensure that every company follows all its requirements.”
Emissions reported by facility under the Reporting Rule can be viewed online