US: Chevron, Southwest Gas Corporation fined for inaccurate emissions reporting

The California Air Resource Board (ARB) issued nearly $1m (€730,000) in fines to energy companies Chevron and Southwest Gas Corporation for late or inaccurate reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in 2011, the body said late on Monday in a statement.

Chevron USA was fined $364,500 for reporting incorrect information for its El Segundo Refinery. Chevron North America Exploration & Production Company was fined $328,500 for late reporting of emissions from its San Joaquin Valley oil fields.

Southwest Gas Corporation was fined $300,000 for being nearly a year late on reporting emissions from natural gas supplied to California in 2011.

“Most California businesses are working hard to comply with [the] new rules aimed at climate change,” said Steven Cliff, the ARB’s manager of climate programs. “Unfortunately, due to mistakes or inattention some companies failed to meet the standards.”

Chevron’s El Segundo Refinery is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases in the state. According to ARB documents, it emitted more than 22m tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2011.

Chevron and Southwest Gas Corporation did not immediately respond to inquiries about the fines.

The ARB said the companies brought the missing reports to the attention to it. The penalties are the largest fines handed out since the start of California’s cap-and-trade programme. Nine other companies, including energy firms Exxon Mobil and Pacific Gas & Electric, were fined nearly $300,000 in July for a similar infraction. Dan X. McGraw