The Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District has announced that eBay Inc. has paid $79,200 in penalties to settle an air quality permit violation that occurred in 2007.

“Our agency is deemed with the task of enforcing air quality laws to protect public health and the environment, said AQMD’s executive officer Larry Greene.

“Bad air is bad for business and discharging harmful pollutants over several days carries a big fine when compromising the air quality and the health of our residents.

The penalty is part of a settlement between AQMD and eBay to resolve a Notice of Violation (NOV) issued by the District on August 21, 2007 for Rule 201, General Permit Requirements.

eBay’s datacenter facility in Rancho Cordova operated three standby generators for several days for purposes other than maintenance or emergency use, resulting in a discharge of emissions such as NOx and Diesel PM in excess of the limits allowed by their permits to operate.