EPA's Lisa Jackson at EPA’s National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Lab in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has granted an emergency fuel waiver for federal clean gasoline requirements for parts of Pennsylvania because of the shutdown of the Buckeye Pipeline due to severe flooding.
In essence EPA is tolerating the sale of fuel that contributes to smog because it will head off a fuel supply crisis, a good, and perhaps rare, example of common sense by regulators.
This waiver follows EPA’s Emergency Fuel Waiver for Tennessee granted because of flooding last month. (See EPA Approves Emergency Fuel Waiver for Tennessee )
In a statement just issued, EPA said that in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), and at the request of Republican Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett (who receives funding from oil and natural gas companies), EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson said that extreme and unusual supply circumstances exist. These problems are likely in EPA’s view to result in a shortage of gasoline that meets federal regulations. The federal waiver will help provide adequate supply of gasoline in the affected area until normal supply to the region can be restored.
The waiver applies to 7.8 psi low RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure, or the absolute vapor pressure exerted by a liquid at 100° F) requirements that apply in the Pittsburgh-Beaver Valley area. The waiver is effective for 20 days and allows the sale of 9.0 psi conventional gasoline in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington, Westmoreland counties.
As required by law, EPA and DOE evaluated the situation and determined that granting a short-term waiver was consistent with the public interest. “To mitigate any impacts on air quality the Clean Air Act provides strict criteria for when fuels waivers may be granted, and requires that waivers be limited as much as possible in terms of their geographic scope and duration,” EPA said. More information at: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/caa/fuelwaivers/
