Los Angeles Companies Agree to Pay $140,000 for Clean Air Act Violations

EPA News Release:

For Immediate Release: November 8, 2012
Media Contact: Nahal Mogharabi, mogharabi.nahal@epa.gov

Los Angeles Companies Agree to Pay $140,000 for Clean Air Act Violations
Violations Found During Inspections at Port of Long Beach

LOS ANGELES – Two Los Angeles companies have agreed to pay a combined total of $140,000 for violating the Clean Air Act by importing electric generators and recreational vehicles into the Port of Long Beach without proper emission controls. All Power America, LLC (All-Power) located in Chino, Calif. will pay $60,000 and Maxtrade, LLC (Maxtrade) located in South El Monte, Calif. will pay $80,000. In addition to the penalties, the companies were required to export the non-compliant generators and recreational vehicles out of the country. EPA discovered the violations during inspections conducted at the Port of Long Beach between 2009 and 2012.

“Without the right emissions controls, gas-powered ATVs, motorcycles and generators can add harmful pollutants to the air we breathe,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “These enforcement actions are part of an ongoing effort by EPA to ensure that all imported vehicles and equipment meet the federal standards.”

In 2011, All Power imported 80 generators into the Port of Long Beach with the intention to sell. EPA inspectors found that the generators lacked the required catalytic converters.   During 2009 and 2012, Maxtrade imported a combined total of 2,481 off-highway motorcycles and ATVs into the Port of Long Beach with the intention to sell. EPA inspectors found that the vehicles violated federal law by using improper carburetors and catalytic converters.

Catalytic converters are designed to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds. Equipment or vehicles that operate without proper emissions controls can emit excess hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides, which can contribute to ambient concentrations of ozone, which is associated with a wide range of health effects such as chronic bronchitis, and aggravation of asthma.

All Power, which has been in business in California since 2007, sells electrical equipment, specializing in generators. Maxtrade has been operating in California since 2005, selling and importing recreational vehicles such as dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles, and go-karts.

These enforcement actions are part of an ongoing effort by EPA to ensure that imported vehicles and equipment comply with the Clean Air Act’s requirements. The Clean Air Act prohibits the importation or sale of any new engines or vehicles unless they are certified by EPA to meet federal emissions standards.

For more information about importing vehicles and engines into the United States, please visit: http://epa.gov/otaq/imports/index.htm

###