"The Air District seeks penalties commensurate with the degree of noncompliance, in order to send a message that these violations will not be tolerated," added District Counsel Brian C. Bunger. "This $1.5 million penalty does just that." According to AQMD, the settlement covers violations which occurred over 3 years, including "failure to inspect tanks and equipment, air pollution releases that resulted from equipment malfunctions, and administrative and reporting violations." AQMD said Tesoro has committed to undertake a number of capital improvement projects and equipment upgrades, some of which go beyond the minimum required by law. It said a number of outdated systems will be replaced with equipment that incorporates the best available pollution control technology. AQMD also said Tesoro agreed to retrofit heavy-duty diesel vehicles in and around the refinery with particulate traps to reduce the amount of particulate pollution they emit.