Lawmakers stress urgency as feds finish new sulfur rules for gasoline

Fuel Fix ^ | February 3, 2014 | Jennifer A. Dlouhy

[thackney]

As the Obama administration prepares to mandate new limits on sulfur pollution from gasoline, congressional Democrats made a last-minute appeal for quick action.

The Environmental Protection Agency has said it plans to finalize the new requirements by the end of this month. That would give refiners less than three years to comply if the agency holds firm to its proposed Jan. 1, 2017 deadline.

Forcing refiners to slash sulfur emissions from gasoline to an average of 10 parts per million — down from the current 30 ppm threshold — would be akin to taking 33 million cars off the road, said Rep. Jan Schakowsky and 41 other House lawmakers in a letter Friday to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy.

Low-sulfur gasoline boosts the effectiveness of catalytic converters, reducing tailpipe emissions.

“Cleaner gasoline and vehicle standards will dramatically improve public health by reducing nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and other harmful pollutants and well-established causes of (pollution),” the lawmakers said. “Those suffering most from air pollution cannot afford to wait any longer for relief.”

The plea for urgent action comes as the oil industry pressures the EPA to move on a slower timetable, forgoing the potential Jan. 1, 2017 deadline to comply with the new mandates.

The American Petroleum Institute and refiners say a three-year window isn’t enough time to make an estimated $10 billion in projected capital improvements, including the installation of hydrometers used to strip sulfur out of gasoline.

The so-called “Tier 3″ standards just entered the final stage of review at the Office of Management and Budget.

“There is every reason to believe EPA will issue final standards by the end of February,” said Frank O’Donnell, executive director of Clean Air Watch. “The car companies have said that’s a crucial date for their planning, and I believe the positive business aspects of the rules will influence the timing.”

The proposed rule would allow automakers to sell the same vehicle in all 50 states by harmonizing federal requirements with California’s stricter sulfur limits. Automakers have said they need the change to help meet stringent fuel economy requirements.

Lobbyists from auto manufacturers, the makers of emissions-control equipment and the oil industry are all expected to make appeals for changes to the Tier 3 proposal in personal meetings with the Office of Management and Budget over the next few weeks.

[thackney]

The refiners must buy more expensive crude

Essentially no crude oil exists in sulfur levels this low. 10 ppm is 0.001% (one one-thousandth of a single percent). For comparison:

The very best on this list, the Malaysia-Tapis (world's most expensive crude oil) is 0.0343% sulfur or 34 times more sulfur than the new allowed value.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aQ6JH.w5UlNY

Instead refineries must spend capital dollars to add hydrotreaters and the like to remove more sulfur during the refining process. Those units consume energy adding never ending greater expense even after the building of new units is done.