SACRAMENTO- The California Air Resources Board penalized Donaldson Company, Inc. $650,000 last month for selling mislabeled and illegal parts throughout California in 2007, with required corrective actions costing over $1.5 million bringing the total costs to over $2.1 million for the company.

The violations were brought to ARB's attention by an informant who was concerned that the company, based in Bloomington, Minn., was selling uncertified diesel emissions control systems. It was found that not only were some systems uncertified by ARB, but Donaldson was mislabeling some systems, as well. Also, Donaldson was not giving each device its own unique serial number, as required by law.

"Donaldson was very cooperative and helpful during our investigation," said ARB Executive Officer James Goldstene. "Their willingness to move forward is a sign that businesses operating in California know they have a responsibility to keep our air clean."

Per the terms of the agreement, Donaldson must comply with the following:

• Label each system shipped to Calif. after October 19, 2007, with a unique serial number;
• Inspect and replace improperly labeled engines/devices;
• Inspect and replace engine/device labels on Port of Long Beach and Port of Los Angeles off-road trucks, but labeled as on-road trucks;
• Inspect and replace Donaldson 6100 series engine/device labels that are labeled as 6000;
• Remove all hang tag labels and replace them with permanently affixed labels;
• Remove the currently unverified particulate matter filter systems from trucks and replace them with verified systems;
• Correct and replace all labels such that the corrected label only identifies one device name; and,
• Provide documentation of their progress to ARB within one year.

In addition to these corrective actions, Donaldson paid a penalty of $650,000. The California Air Pollution Control Fund will receive $487,500 for air pollution research; and, the remaining $162,500 will go to the California Pollution Control Financing Authority to help guarantee loans to off-road vehicle fleets that need to buy exhaust retrofits to comply with the in-use off-road diesel vehicle regulation.

In 1998, the ARB listed diesel particulate matter as a toxic air contaminant in order to protect public health. Exposure to diesel emissions can increase the risk of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. California has aggressively worked to cut diesel emissions by cleaning up diesel fuel, requiring cleaner engines for trucks, buses and off-road equipment, and limiting unnecessary idling.

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.

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