AB&I Foundry of East Oakland settles nuisance odor case

SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) finalized a settlement with McWane, Inc., doing business as AB&I Foundry, of East Oakland, Calif., to resolve nuisance odors and permit violations stemming from its operations.

The terms of the settlement include a civil penalty of $1.2 million with $540,000 going to CARB, $60,000 to BAAQMD, and $600,000 to support two supplemental environmental projects aimed at helping East Oakland improve air quality and support those suffering health impacts from exposure to air pollution. CARB worked with the Office of the California Attorney General, who also recently announced its own settlement with AB&I.

CARB began investigating odors emanating from the AB&I facility in early 2016 after receiving complaints from community members living in the vicinity of the operation. CARB issued a Notice of Violation to AB&I in 2020 to remedy the nuisance odors. AB&I chose to cease all operations of its East Oakland foundry in 2022 and sold the property, thus resolving the nuisance odors.

"CARB's enforcement efforts are a critical component of upholding the state's air quality regulations to resolve and remediate harms to the public, especially in disadvantaged communities, as was the case with AB&I Foundry. The residents of East Oakland can breathe cleaner air and no longer suffer from the foundry's noxious odors," said CARB Chair Liane Randolph.

The two supplemental environmental project (SEP) recipients are the Rose Foundation for Communities and the Environment (Rose Foundation) and the Roots Community Health Center. The Rose Foundation SEP will support the organization's grant program and provide grants to grassroot activists and local organizations to address crucial air quality concerns in East Oakland.

The Roots Community Health Center SEP funding will add two respiratory clinics in East Oakland, expand their community outreach and home follow-up visits, and grow their pediatric asthma outreach through schools and youth programs in local communities. Their program, Breathe Oakland, aims to provide widespread screening of unhoused individuals throughout Oakland, as well as ongoing medical care and self-management support for those diagnosed with a respiratory condition.

The $540,000 CARB received in the settlement will benefit the Air Pollution Control Fund, which provides funding for projects and research to improve California's air quality.