Residents of Santa Barbara have won a significant victory on the environmental front in a lawsuit settlement that ensures their community will be protected for years to come.
The Office of Santa Barbara District Attorney John T. Savrnoch announced a $620,000 settlement in an environmental protection lawsuit filed against Central Coast Agriculture Inc. (CCA) in August of this year.
The company was accused of operating at least 16 100–500-kilowatt diesel generators that powered refrigeration units storing frozen cannabis, with at least one used for primary power to a cannabis cultivation greenhouse.
This not only violates California's Health and Safety Code laws, but was also specifically tailored to dodge the provisions of the California Air Resources Board's Portable Engine Registration Program (PERP).
The particular complaint points out that the CCA used these units to power a building, facility, or stationary equipment outside of locations where the PERP registration was not valid without having obtained prior authorization from the local Air Pollution Control District, meaning the CCA built them just outside of jurisdiction to avoid immediate detection.
The CCA also kept them at the generators at the exact same location for more than 12 months and failed to record their monthly usage, as required by PERP regulations.
The company was required to pay $520,000 in civil penalties and $100,000 as a Supplemental Environmental Project to the Santa Barbara County Bucket Brigade. This money will directly fund the Refugio Road Trail Restoration Project that began in 2022.
The District Attorney's Office will also use $260,000 of the aforementioned civil penalties to support enhanced enforcement of environmental protection laws, ensuring that companies such as CCA continue to be held accountable for environmental violations.
If you care about ensuring that companies remain aware and responsible in their treatment of the environment, you can take action by participating in your community to empower residents to speak out against unfair or morally wrong practices, even those of large companies like Pepsi.
Supporting businesses that already engage in eco-friendly business initiatives or make environmentally sound changes to their operations, or donating to causes you believe in, is also another way to make a difference. Money talks.
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