Colusa link to tanker violations
Attorney General Bill Lockyer announced Wednesday that a Central Valley gasoline tanker inspection company and three of its employees were charged with faking air quality inspections and sending fraudulent results to state officials.
One of the employees is accused of faking the results of gasoline tanker inspections in Colusa in 2004, according to court papers.
Gary Bostrom, 56, of Merced, is accused of signing four certifications claiming to have performed tank inspections at Davies Oil, 150 13th St., Colusa, in 2004. Bostrom is expected to surrender to authorities later this week, Lockyer said in a statement.
Managers with Davies could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.
Arrested at his home Wednesday in Atwater was Bruce Hoagland, 59, President of Techland Testing, Inc., also headquartered in Atwater.
Hoagland, who faces felony charges of conspiracy and filing false documents with the state, is being held on $10,000 bail.
Michael Miller, 52, of Idaho Falls, ID, and Bostrom also were charged.
“California communities have some of the dirtiest air in the country and pollution in the central valley is rapidly increasing to levels rivaling major urban areas,” Lockyer said in a statement. “By breaking the law, (Techland) put personal profit ahead of public health.”
State law requires gasoline cargo tanks to pass annual inspections to prevent vapor leaks. Vapors form urban smog when released into the air.
Techland was investigated after California Air Resources Board inspectors conducted undercover surveillance of the company's testing procedures in several counties.
In 13 instances Techland and its employees either didn't show up for inspections or stayed at a scene only long enough to place compliance stickers on tanker trucks without actually conducting tests, Lockyer said.
In addition to the alleged violations in Colusa, the defendants are charged with faking tests in Amador, Madera, Monterey, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
The criminal charges were filed in Sacramento County Superior Court.
