The baking behemoth, Bimbo Bakeries USA Inc., was fined a considerable sum of $162,000 for violations of air quality standards at its South San Francisco facility. This settlement puts to rest two notices of violation that the district had issued to the bakery company, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District revealed today.

The fine includes $150,000 for not performing annual emissions tests on their boilers over five years, specifically from 2016 to 2019 and 2021. The remaining $12,000 of the penalty pertains to a single incident of carbon monoxide levels surpassing permissible limits. In an announcement by the Air District, Dr. Philip Fine, the executive officer, emphasized the gravity of adhering to air quality regulations. He stated, as per the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, "Ensuring compliance with air quality regulations is essential for protecting public health and air quality," underscoring the Air District's commitment to holding businesses accountable.

When a facility is suspected of violating air quality rules, the Air District steps in with a Notice of Violation. Such notices obligate violators to reply within 10 days, detailing their plan to fix the issue. Compliance may require immediate shutdown of operations or modifications to equipment or procedures to remedy the defiance.

Dr. Fine added that enforcement actions, like the one leveraged against Bimbo Bakeries, are a central part of the district's strategy to safeguard local communities from the harms of air pollution. "We take these violations seriously and use our enforcement actions to best protect nearby communities and improve air quality throughout the Bay Area," he affirmed, as cited by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.