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Engines used to power appliances were not CA-certified. NEWS
RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Air Resources Board

Release 09-84	
September 16, 2009							
Contact for News Media Only:
Karen Caesar
(626) 575-6728															
ARB fines marketers of gasoline-powered blenders $240K
Engines used to power appliances were not CA-certified

Sacramento – The Air Resources Board this month fined Orange
County-based On the Edge Marketing and CSK Auto Inc. of Phoenix
$240,000 for selling gasoline-powered blenders using illegal
uncertified small off-road engines to California businesses and
residents.

Sales of these unauthorized blenders, popular for mixing
beverages at tail-gate parties and other outdoor events, occurred
in 2007.  They feature “two-stroke” engines similar in size to
those that power small chain saws, and require that oil be mixed
in with the gas.  These types of illegal uncertified engines from
China can produce emissions 10 times as high as those of
compliant certified engines approved for use in California.

“Gasoline-powered blenders may be this year's tailgate
sensation, but drinkers should not be polluting our air while
having a good time,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.

Both companies, which originally imported about 3,000 of these
blenders from China, have been ordered to stop selling goods with
non-certified small off-road engines, and to make payments to the
California Air Pollution Control Fund, which supports projects
and research to prevent air pollution.

Non-certified gasoline engines can produce excess smog-forming
emissions that can cause difficulty breathing, shortness of
breath, coughs, heightened asthma rates, cardiopulmonary ailments
and premature deaths. 

CSK Auto, Inc. owns and operates more than 1,300 retail auto
parts stores in multiple states under the brand names Checker
Auto Parts, Schuck's Auto Supply, and Murray's Discount Auto
Stores.  The company operates "Kragen Auto Parts" stores in
California.  CSK bills itself as the largest specialty auto parts
and accessories retailer in the western U.S.  On the Edge
Marketing manufactures and imports a variety of niche items,
including private label products.



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The Air Resources Board is a department of the California
Environmental Protection Agency. ARB's mission is to promote and
protect public health, welfare, and ecological resources through
effective reduction of air pollutants while recognizing and
considering effects on the economy. The ARB oversees all air
pollution control efforts in California to attain and maintain
health based air quality standards.