SACRAMENTO – The California Air Resources Board fined Millard Refrigerated Service of Omaha, Nebraska, $35,550 earlier this month for air pollution violations discovered at its Mira Loma, California cold storage facility.

ARB inspectors found that Millard Refrigerated Service failed to submit data by the Jan. 31, 2006 deadline, violating the Transport Refrigeration Unit regulation.

"Because our state has the poorest air quality in the nation, we cannot afford to overlook any infractions," said ARB Chairman Mary Nichols. "We hope that each penalty serves as an effective deterrent and a reminder that everyone plays a part in cleaning up our air."

Facilities with 20 or more cold storage loading docks are required to monitor, keep records and report activities that create emissions, including diesel-powered refrigeration units mounted on trucks, trailers, shipping containers and rail cars. These activities take place during the loading and unloading of perishables goods at distribution centers around the state.

Millard Refrigerated Service will pay $26,662.50 to the California Air Pollution Fund, established to mitigate various sources of pollution through education and use of cleaner technology, and $8,887.50 to the Peralta Community College District to fund diesel emissions technology education programs at community colleges.

Monitoring companies that utilize diesel-powered refrigeration units is key to improving air quality. Diesel exhaust contains a variety of harmful gases and over 40 other known cancer-causing substances. In 1998, California identified diesel exhaust as a toxic air contaminant based on its potential to cause cancer, premature death, and other health problems. People exposed to higher levels of emissions from diesel-fueled engines are at higher risk for developing cancer.