California Government Agencies Budget

A big power plant near Long Beach spewed more than a million pounds of excess pollution into the sky last year, so air quality regulators fined operator AES Pacific Inc. a record-setting $17 million and required installation of add-on controls to protect the environment. However, when officials of the South Coast Air Quality Management District got their hands on the cash, they doled out millions to pet projects.

A big power plant near Long Beach spewed more than a million pounds of excess pollution into the sky last year, so air quality regulators fined operator AES Pacific Inc. a record-setting $17 million and required installation of add-on controls to protect the environment. However, when officials of the South Coast Air Quality Management District got their hands on the cash, they doled out millions to pet projects.