EPA Releases Fuels Regulations Streamlining Proposal

EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air Quality has released a prepublication draft of its proposal to streamline its fuels regulations (40 CFR Part 80). EPA staff expected to send the proposed rule package to the Office of Management and Budget for review in October. These changes will impact gasoline, diesel and IMO marine fuels. The agency plans to move the bulk of its fuels regulations to 40 CFR Part 1090 and reduce the number of pages from approximately 900 to 180. Industry is interested primarily in EPA’s plans to: (1) drop the VOC-control designations for summertime reformulated gasoline (RFG) and replace them with a uniform 7.4 psi RVP requirement and (2) consolidate fuels reporting requirements. This will make redesignations between conventional and reformulated gasolines easier to accomplish when disruptions occur. This streamlining effort will not make any changes to the Renewable Fuel Standard in 40 CFR Part 80 or the Fuel and Fuel Additives Manufacturers requirements of 40 CFR Part 79.