California Air Resources Board

Evergreen Marine Corp. Ltd. Settles For $26,000

In March 2024, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) reached a settlement with Evergreen Marine Corp. Ltd. (EMC), with its principal location in Taiwan, for the company’s violation of the Fuel Sulfur and Other Operational Requirements for Ocean-Going Vessels Within California Waters and 24 Nautical Miles of the California Baseline (Ocean-Going Vessel Fuel Regulation), as codified in the California Code of Regulations, title 13, section 2299.2, and title 17, section 93118.2.

Following routine inspections and investigations conducted by EMC and CARB staff, it was revealed that two EMC vessels, Ever Libra and Ever Legend, failed to operate on compliant fuel upon entry into Regulated California Waters in 2023. CARB alleged four days of violations for a penalty of $26,000, under Health and Safety Code section 39674. EMC took prompt action after being notified of these violations and, under CARB’s supervision, began operating in compliance.

To settle the case, EMC agreed to the total penalty amount for the violation. This amount will be deposited into CARB’s Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality. EMC agreed to comply with CARB regulations going forward.

Return to 2024 Settlements

Principal Investigator/Authors: Charisma Acey, Margaretta Lin                 

Contractors: University of California, Berkeley

Sub-contractors: Just Cities and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project

Contract number: 21RD009

Project Status: Active

Relevant CARB programs: Sustainable Communities & Climate Protection Program, Research Planning

Topic areas: Sustainable Communities, Research & Sustainable Communities, Sustainable Community Strategies (SCS), Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Reduction & Climate Goals, Land Use & Transportation Research

Research Summary:

This project will examine public investment policies and systemic precedents that contribute to the inequitable distribution of resources and resulting disparities across California communities. The project will identify opportunities and potential resources to address these inequities in public infrastructure investment policies and practices in the housing, land use, and transportation sectors. The project findings and resulting report, will identify and prioritize equitable policies that also contribute to reductions in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and preserve, protect, and allow to produce more affordable housing across the state. In addition to offering opportunities to identify how existing and new public investments can be utilized to yield economic, environmental, and social returns to support healthy and more sustainable community development.

The project will develop an online policy mapping tool with multiple resources to support local decision-makers and advocates in preventing current and future harm for people of color and other vulnerable populations as well as reduction in VMT and GHG emissions. The mapping tool will share a research action model to help users identify local conditions and impact (environmental, health, housing, transportation) to understand their connection to inequitable policies and practices in their selected regions. In addition, the tool will include six unique case studies cataloguing history of policies and impacts (drivers of pollution and inequity), existing solutions, and visionary solutions proposed by communities. Moreover, the mapping tool will feature a database of equitable and inequitable investment policies, practices, and strategies across California that have prevented or created harm in distinct geographies. All tools will be developed through a transformative planning process alongside an Environmental Justice Advisory Council.

Keywords: sustainable community strategies (SCS); transportation and land use; equitable climate policy; evaluation methods