CLIPBOARD : Air Pollution Penalties

Following is a list of the seven most severe air pollution penalties assessed by the South Coast Air Quality Management District in February, the most recent month available:

Company: Kenneth Harper & Associates, 3108 Monroe Way, Costa Mesa

Penalty: $12,000

Violation: Failure to provide proper notification before conducting a degassing operation and operating underground storage tank degassing equipment contrary to permit conditions between March and November, 1990 (underground storage tank degassing contractor)

Company: Hydro-Fluent Inc., 140 Technology Drive, Irvine

Penalty: $8,400

Violation: Exceeding hydrocarbon limits and operating an underground storage tank degassing system contrary to permit conditions between May and July, 1990 (degassing company)

Company: San Diego Pipeline Company, 1350 N. Main St., Orange

Penalty: $8,000

Violation: Violation of permit conditions, failure to properly maintain vapor recovery equipment, periodically operating without an incinerator, and failure to submit timely source test results between April, 1988, and October, 1989 (gasoline bulk loading facility)

Company: Shell Dealer, Byron Bronson, 4035 E. Chapman Ave., Orange

Penalty: $5,000

Violation: Violations issued at various locations for faulty nozzles, inoperative vapor check valves and failure to properly maintain a vapor recovery system between May, 1986, and August, 1989 (gas station)

Company: South Coast Medical Center, 31872 Coast Highway, Laguna Beach

Penalty: $2,500

Violation: Failure to submit an updated AQMD Regulation XV trip reduction plan in July, 1990 (medical facility)

Company: R.G.F. Enterprises, 3162 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim

Penalty: $2,000

Violation: Exceeding coating and solvent usage limits while operating a paint spray booth on various dates in January, 1990 (painter of aerospace and industrial application parts)

Company: Behr Process Corporation, 1603 W. Alton Ave., Santa Ana

Penalty: $2,000

Violation: Failure to close stationary and portable mixing vats containing paint and varnish in June, 1990 (paint and varnish manufacturer)

Source: South Coast Air Quality Management District

Researched by: ELENA BRUNET / Los Angeles Times