Sacramento State recently paid a $27,960 fine to the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District for permit violations regarding generators and fleet fueling stations, according to a report by the Sacramento Business Journal.

Brandon Manzano of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District said the district has a Mutual Settlement Program that resolves violations without wasting time and litigation expense.

“This process included a considerable period of time involving numerous meetings and deliberations with hired consultants, back and forth data submittals and analyses,” he said.

Sac State’s generator permit bylaws state that the university cannot use generators for more than an hour when the Air Quality Index, the measure of the amount of harmful particles and chemicals in the air, is over 75.

Citing Sac State’s records, the Air District said the campus violated use permits in 2006 when it used specific generators for emergency lighting tests when the Air Quality Index went over 75 for more than a hour.

“CSUS has finally paid a civil penalty of $27,960 for violating conditions of their air generator permits onnumerous occasions,” Manzano said.

Linda Hafar, facilities and utilities director, said the penalties levied on Sac State were for a handful of generators used on one occasion; not as many as Manzano asserted. She went on to say that the generators in question had not been on for over an hour, which contradicted Manzano’s previous statement.

“We really don’t run them unless they are needed,” said environmental specialist and sustainability officer Bob Hitomi. He explained the importance of the generators for emergencies and the importance to keep them in good working condition.

In the end, Hitomi said it boiled down to a record keeping issue.

The university provided the records books for the settlement case regarding the 25 generators. Hafar confirmed that the university did voluntarily offer the books for the settlement hearing.

Hafar said the records represent the data on a monthly basis for each of the generators instead of day to day account, of which the fine is based.

In addition to the record keeping issue, Hafar said the inspector in charge of the settlement case was difficult to work with.

“He would not converse with us and would not work this out,” Hafar said. “We could not appeal.”

The Air District’s Mutual Settlement Program does not allow for appeals or rebuttals; Sac State settled the issue by paying the $27,960 penalty.

“It isn’t really an issue anymore,” Hitomi said of the penalty.

When questioned further, Hitomi said he contacted the Air District as requested and ultimately had the one-hour restriction removed from the permits. The one-hour restriction, now removed the permits, should prevent the university from having to face a similar time settlement issue with the Air District, he said

Kaely Mullins can be reached at [email protected]