Posted on 03/14/2013 10:38:00 AM PDT by thackney
As the Obama administration prepares to unveil a plan to slash smog-forming sulfur emissions from gasoline, oil industry lobbyists are making a final push against the measure.
Representatives from the American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers met with the White House on Monday to discuss the issue with officials from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and Budget. A separate meeting on the same topic last month included representatives from Shell Oil Co., Marathon Petroleum and the American Petroleum Institute.
At issue are the so-called Tier 3 fuel standards, which would require refiners to cut sulfur emissions from gasoline to 10 parts per million, down from a current threshold of 30 parts per million.
The Office of Management and Budget began reviewing the draft proposal in January, and the EPA is expected to formally propose the Tier 3 standards later this month. That would put the Obama administration on track to finalize the rule by the end of the year.
EPA officials have cast the change as an important step for advancing air quality and public health, because the tighter sulfur mandate could result in less ozone and other pollution, helping states attain national ambient air quality standards.
And approving automakers say tighter sulfur emission standards would unlock the construction and use of cleaner combustion engines, giving them new avenues for meeting other environmental mandates. The change would allow catalytic converters to work more effectively, ultimately causing cars to emit fewer smog-forming compounds. Emissions control technology makers have been lobbying the White House and EPA too, including during a meeting on Feb. 22 with representatives from BASF, Corning Inc., and the Manufacturers of Emission Controls Association.
But the oil industry says the plan would require expensive changes at refineries, including the installation of costly, energy-intensive hydrotreaters to strip more sulfur out of gasoline, without proven health benefits. Industry representatives note that they’ve already cleaned up sulfur emissions considerably, down from a previous threshold of 300 parts per million.
“We’ve already taken out 270 parts per million of sulfur,” said Bob Greco, with the American Petroleum Institute. “Now they want to say we need to take out another 20. How much more benefit are you going to get from the remaining 20?”
The current standards are designed so refiners must meet an annual average of 30 parts per million — with an absolute cap of 80 parts per million. An open question is whether the EPA will seek to lower the ceiling on sulfur emissions in addition to the overall average.
The agency is not expected to mandate an additional vapor pressure reduction requirement that could hike costs further. EPA officials have said they have no plans to include that requirement.
Refiners say the mandates put them at a disadvantage in the global gasoline marketplace. Refiners already are not selling as much gasoline, noted Howard Feldman, API’s director of regulatory and scientific affairs.
“Now you’re talking about adding additional control costs on top of that for a commodity — gasoline — which is sold in a global market and has to compete in a global marketplace,” he said.
And the oil industry insists that adding energy-hogging hydrotreaters to refineries could actually boost the carbon footprints of those facilities, even as regulators are on a separate path to set liits on greenhouse gas emissions from the plants.
Amen brother-—BOHICA
Bend Over, Here It Comes Again.
Stand by for the Ram.
This is absolutely insane. They are determined to kill diesels. Is there any end? Let me answer my own question. No, not until these bastards are gone... one way or the other.
Anything I am able to run on offroad diesel runs better. Sulfur is necessary for good lubrication.
Russia runs better than the US. 12% personal tax and 18% VAT. Things get fixed and run reasonably well. Better than here on most days and in most ways.
I’ve asked the Russians to trade o’stoner for puttie poot but they say no deal.
What a shame.
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