The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) said today that they finalized a settlement with McWane, Inc., doing business as AB&I Foundry, of East Oakland, Calif., to resolve nuisance odors and permit violations stemming from its operations.
“CARB’s enforcement efforts are a critical component of upholding the state’s air quality regulations to resolve and remediate harms to the public, especially in disadvantaged communities, as was the case with AB&I Foundry. The residents of East Oakland can breathe cleaner air and no longer suffer from the foundry’s noxious odors,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.
Settlement terms include a civil penalty of $1.2 million with $540,000 going to CARB,* $60,000 to BAAQMD, and $600,000 to support two supplemental environmental projects aimed at helping East Oakland improve air quality and support those suffering health impacts from exposure to air pollution. CARB worked with the Office of the California Attorney General, who also recently announced its own settlement with AB&I.
CARB started investigating odors emanating from the AB&I facility in early 2016 after receiving complaints from community members living in the vicinity of the operation. CARB issued a Notice of Violation to AB&I in 2020 to remedy the nuisance odors. AB&I chose to cease all operations of its East Oakland foundry in 2022 and sold the property, thus resolving the nuisance odors.
The two supplemental environmental project (SEP) recipients are the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment (Rose Foundation) and the Roots Community Health Center. The Rose Foundation SEP will support the organization’s grant program and provide grants to grassroot activists and local organizations to address crucial air quality concerns in East Oakland.
The Roots Community Health Center SEP funding will add two respiratory clinics in East Oakland, expand their community outreach and home follow-up visits, and grow their pediatric asthma outreach through schools and youth programs in local communities. Their program, Breathe Oakland, aims to provide widespread screening of unhoused individuals throughout Oakland, as well as ongoing medical care and self-management support for those diagnosed with a respiratory condition.
*The $540,000 CARB received in the settlement will benefit the Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California’s air quality.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
CARB Settles Nuisance Odor Case at AB&I Foundry
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) said today that they finalized a settlement with McWane, Inc., doing business as AB&I Foundry, of East Oakland, Calif., to resolve nuisance odors and permit violations stemming from its operations.
“CARB’s enforcement efforts are a critical component of upholding the state’s air quality regulations to resolve and remediate harms to the public, especially in disadvantaged communities, as was the case with AB&I Foundry. The residents of East Oakland can breathe cleaner air and no longer suffer from the foundry’s noxious odors,” said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.
Settlement terms include a civil penalty of $1.2 million with $540,000 going to CARB,* $60,000 to BAAQMD, and $600,000 to support two supplemental environmental projects aimed at helping East Oakland improve air quality and support those suffering health impacts from exposure to air pollution. CARB worked with the Office of the California Attorney General, who also recently announced its own settlement with AB&I.
CARB started investigating odors emanating from the AB&I facility in early 2016 after receiving complaints from community members living in the vicinity of the operation. CARB issued a Notice of Violation to AB&I in 2020 to remedy the nuisance odors. AB&I chose to cease all operations of its East Oakland foundry in 2022 and sold the property, thus resolving the nuisance odors.
The two supplemental environmental project (SEP) recipients are the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment (Rose Foundation) and the Roots Community Health Center. The Rose Foundation SEP will support the organization’s grant program and provide grants to grassroot activists and local organizations to address crucial air quality concerns in East Oakland.
The Roots Community Health Center SEP funding will add two respiratory clinics in East Oakland, expand their community outreach and home follow-up visits, and grow their pediatric asthma outreach through schools and youth programs in local communities. Their program, Breathe Oakland, aims to provide widespread screening of unhoused individuals throughout Oakland, as well as ongoing medical care and self-management support for those diagnosed with a respiratory condition.
*The $540,000 CARB received in the settlement will benefit the Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California’s air quality.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.