A California regulator has ordered Tesla to correct conditions that have led to several air quality violations at its Fremont, California, factory.
The Bay Area Air Quality Management District issued an abatement order to Tesla on Tuesday, citing numerous violations of air quality standards at the Fremont facility. It said the facility has been cited 112 times for violating air quality standards since 2019.
According to the order, Tesla’s oxidation technology, which helps filter out toxic paint fumes, will sometimes break down causing unfiltered emissions to be vented into the air. The air quality authority also claimed that Tesla employees sometimes manually disable the oxidation system when other issues arise.
The regulator said Tesla must address the violations by hiring a third-party consultant to assess how to fix the paint facility’s emissions issues and submit their findings to the group’s board. If the board approves the proposed solution, Tesla must execute the plan.
If Tesla does not comply with the regulator’s requirements it could face millions of dollars in fines.
The announcement comes just one month after The Environmental Democracy Project filed a lawsuit in California over the Fremont factory’s treatment of toxic paint fumes.
Additionally, the regulator has cited Tesla before for air quality violations. In 2021, the company agreed to pay a $1 million fine and install solar panels after the agency found over 30 air quality violations.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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