Air District accuses Tesla Fremont base of harmful air quality violations
(KRON) – Tesla’s manufacturing facility in Fremont is accused of air quality violations, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District said in a formal complaint.
The complaint, filed on Thursday, specifically accuses Tesla’s paint shop of emitting harmful emissions into the atmosphere “without proper abatement,” the complaint said.
Since 2019, 112 notices of “frequent and ongoing” violations have been issued, each of which “included one or more days of violation,” the complaint continued.
The air district says each of these violations can emit as much as 750 pounds of illegal air pollution, causing severe health effects in vulnerable populations like children, people with asthma, and older adults.
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“The Air District is seeking this order to compel Tesla to address numerous recurring emissions violations at their Fremont facility paint shops,” said Dr. Philip Fine, executive officer of the air district. “Tesla’s repeated failure to comply with air quality regulations is unacceptable and increases the risk to public health.”
According to the complaint, Tesla’s paint shop allows air quality violations in two ways:
Parts of the abatement system break down repeatedly, and emissions are automatically vented directly into the atmosphere without proper abatement.
The abatement equipment is functioning properly, but Tesla shuts its system down when problems arise with other equipment in the paint shop.
These paint shops emit Toxic Air Contaminants (TACs) and Precursor Organic Compounds (POCs), more coloquially known as smog.
Depending on the level of exposure, this can cause “coughing and a sore or scratchy throat; difficulty to breathe deeply; inflame and damage the airway; make the lungs more susceptible to infection; aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis; and increase the frequency of asthma attacks,” the complaint said.
Toxic Air Contaminants can also cause serious, long-term effects, such as cancer, even at low
levels, reproductive and developmental effects, and neurological effects.
The air district’s position is that “these violations are foreseeable and can be redressed.”
To comply with the abatement order, Tesla will be required to implement a plan to address these recurring violations through a two-step process:
Tesla would hire a third-party consultant to evaluate and make recommendations. The consultant’s recommendations would then be implemented through a plan Tesla would file with the Hearing Board for approval.
Second, execute the approved plan to stop the release of uncontrolled emissions, “except where it may be absolutely necessary for safety reasons.”
“The public is encouraged to attend the Hearing Board hearing in this case. Members of the public will be able to provide comments or testimony, in person or via Zoom, if they have points they would like the Hearing Board to consider,” the air district said.
Tesla’s hearing is not scheduled as of this report, but those interested in receiving updates can do so here.
KRON has reached out to Tesla regarding the complaint but has not heard anything back as of this report.
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