Posted on 09/30/2013 1:10:57 AM PDT by thackney
The Obama administration is at least briefly delaying a plan to require refiners to pare more sulfur from gasoline.
The Environmental Protection Agency had said it was on track to finalize the proposed sulfur emissions standards by the end of the year, after unveiling a draft in March.
But the timeline for a final rule now has slipped to February.
The agency attributed the delay to a flood of public comments.
“EPA received more than 200,000 public comments on the May proposal,” the agency said. “Due to the extensive input we received and the need for thorough analysis of available data, EPA currently intends to issue the final rule in February 2014.”
The so-called Tier 3 standards proposed by the EPA would require refiners beginning in 2017 to slash sulfur emissions from gasoline to an average of 10 parts per million, down from a current threshold of 30 parts per million. The low-sulfur standard would boost the effectiveness of emission control systems in existing and new vehicles.
Public health advocates say the low-sulfur fuel mandate would reduce smog-forming ozone pollution from vehicles and the respiratory illnesses that accompany it. The EPA estimates that the standards will help avoid as many as 2,400 premature deaths each year and 23,000 cases of respiratory ailments in children.
But oil companies say the public health benefits of the low-sulfur mandate are unproven, especially following much bigger reductions from a previous standard of 300 parts per million. The Tier 3 standards will cause gasoline prices to rise at least 9 cents per gallon according to industry-commissioned calculations and require the installation of energy-hungry hydrotreaters at refineries that could increase the plants’ carbon footprints.
With the delay until February, it is unclear whether the EPA would still require changes to begin in 2017.
The agency stressed in a statement that it would make a decision on the start date of the program in its final rule. But, the EPA noted, “the agency’s adjusted schedule does not preclude a 2017 start date for the program, as proposed.”
Frank O’Donnell, the head of Clean Air Watch, a group that supports the requirements, said it is important that the EPA stick by the proposed rule’s 2017 deadline for compliance, even with a two-month delay in finalizing the requirements.
“As long as EPA still meets the promised fuel and vehicle standards in 2017, public health won’t suffer,” O’Donnell said. “But both Administrator (Gina) McCarthy and the White House need to understand this is a top public health priority and rule promulgation can’t slip further.”
The Tier 3 rule was delayed even before the EPA unveiled its draft proposal in March. An initial proposal was at one time expected in 2011 or 2012.
The makers of emission control equipment say future investments in their industry have been on hold pending final Tier 3 standards.
Oil industry representatives who have battled the proposed Tier 3 standards say they believe the rule will still be finalized.
The screws on our freedoms tighten slowly, but inexorably.
This standard should be fought and fought hard. The reason is simple enough. When was enough, ever enough for environmental activists? I harken back to the days of silence when very few such folks were given a listening ear. Once they began to be heard, the goal posts have been moving with unfortunate and increasingly expensive regularity.
They will continue to move the goal posts until we all are walking in loin cloth robes and wiping our butts with our hands.
They will continue to move the goal posts until we all are walking in loin cloth robes and wiping our butts with our bare hands.
The EPA , like the IRS and the Dept of Education, has become nothing but a fascist vehicle for the expansion of coercive utopianism and fascism. Most of their activity has been by executive order. All three need to be “shut down.” I am looking forward to their being “shut down” permanantly.
The Constitution requires it be done.
How much will it reduce refinery output? What will be the economic impact?
Does anyone know if the rule applies only to domestic refineries? I believe the US imports considerable amounts of refined petroleum products. It may be the Venezuelan and other offshore refineries won’t make the capital investment in equipment to meet the standards, no matter what the EPA says.
I suspect the long term strategy of the leftists is to move the goal post to a place where the standards are unachievable. Then the regulators will use heavy fines to punish the evil oil companies. This stealth regulatory “tax” via fines on big corporations seems another strategy of the executive branch to assume the taxing powers of Congress.
I’ve noticed under Obama every few days there seems to be a story in the media about some company agreeing to millions, or in the case of some financial institutions billions, in fines imposed by some regulatory agency. We’ve also seen the same with companies threatened with lawsuits by the Justice Department settling for millions without going to court. It seems our current administration uses every tool of government to achieve its redistribution goals.
So by reducing sulfer from 30 parts per million to10 parts per million it will prevent 2, 400 deaths....
I love to see the “science” behind that calculation....
There is this bridge in Brooklyn....up for sell...
“This standard should be fought and fought hard. The reason is simple enough.”
I have a diesel car. When fuel had higher sulfur it got better mileage and the fuel was half the price. Now the mileage is slightly lower and fuel costs up to $4 per gallon. Diesel requires the least refining of the fuels. You can basically strain the sand out of the lighter crude and burn it in the engine.
Everything we buy is delivered by truck. This standard has greatly contributed to food and goods inflation.
I think their ought to be a requirement that every new rule have an economic impact statement. When you add them all together you’d see that one of the biggest contributors to our economic malaise are environmental rules and regulations.
The auto manufacturers, foreign and domestic, want a single standard.
And I bet 199,995 of them were negative.
$.09/per gallon for this? This madness has got to stop.
“This brings the rest of the US into compliance with California, Europe, Japan, and Korea.
The auto manufacturers, foreign and domestic, want a single standard. “
America was built on cheap gas. Our economy exploded when the car was cheap enough for everybody to own one (and fuel it). The rest of the world is economically stagnant. If we want to grow our economy cheap gas is the way to do it. I frankly don’t care about California, Europe, Japan and Korea. Pardon my French but f*ck them; not us.
Perhaps the only rule should be the rule of law. I’d hate to see what it would take for the importance of law to exceed the importance of rules.
If it has an economic effect on the people rules don’t cut it.
Reducing sulfur makes the catalytic converter more efficient reducing NOx and VOCs and produces better gas mileage to meet the rising CAFE standards
I would expect an increase similar to that when Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel went into effect, maybe 50¢.
How much will it reduce refinery output?
That depends how many older, less up-to-date refineries decide to spend the millions of dollars to make the changes.
The requirement is for the product sold, not how it is refined.
I believe the US imports considerable amounts of refined petroleum products.
It is a relatively small percentage compared to what we use.
Not anymore and meet the US ULSD requirements. Which is why it costs more.
Then that will probably be the rub. Our number of refineries are so low that a few going out of business (due to more of Obama's regulations) will make a major difference.
Depends on the oil.
Sour oil(high sulfur content) from the Alberta tars sands will be more expensive that sweet oil(low sulfur content) like shale oil from the Bakken
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