According to media reports, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has ordered Tesla to correct "persistent air quality violations" at its Fremont factory in Northern California.
The BAAQMD recently stated that it "requires the issuance of an order to cease the frequent and ongoing violations in the paint shop at Tesla's Fremont factory."
Since 2019, Tesla has received over 112 notices of air quality violations. The BAAQMD noted that each air quality violation could result in the release of hundreds of pounds of illegal air pollutants, with some violations occurring frequently and potentially negatively impacting public health and the environment.
Dr. Philip Fine, an official with the BAAQMD, stated: "Tesla's ongoing violations at the Fremont factory pose a threat to public health and air quality in the surrounding community. This order is crucial to ensure that Tesla takes swift and effective action to stop harmful emissions and complies with all air quality regulations, safeguarding the health of residents near the facility."
The BAAQMD reported that, in certain cases, components of Tesla's thermal oxidizer or emission control systems fail, leading to "emissions being automatically vented directly into the atmosphere without proper control measures." The agency also mentioned that when other equipment in the paint shop malfunctions, Tesla manually shuts down the emission control systems.
The BAAQMD indicated that Tesla will be required to implement a two-step plan to address the violations:
First, Tesla must hire a third-party consultant to conduct an assessment and provide recommendations. Then, Tesla must develop a proposed plan to implement these recommendations and submit it to the Hearing Board for approval.
Second, Tesla must execute the approved implementation plan to stop avoidable uncontrolled emissions unless it is for safety reasons.
