Regulation of Fuel and Fuel Additives: Reformulated Gasoline Terminal Receipt Date

With today's action the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to establish April 15 as a new annual compliance date for reformulated gasoline (RFG) and reformulated blendstock for oxygenate blending (RBOB), on or after which no persons except retailers and wholesale purchaser consumers would be able to accept receipt of any RFG other than summer grade RFG. This action is intended to help ease the annual spring transition from winter grade RFG to summer grade RFG by increasing RFG inventories during the transition period. Requiring all terminals to receive summer grade RFG by a fixed date should help reduce the competitive pressure that keeps terminals from accepting summer grade RFG for as long as possible, and may provide for a smoother transition in certain geographic areas by lengthening the turnover time for terminal tanks. We are also proposing to simplify the existing blendstock accounting requirements. This action will allow refineries more flexibility to transfer gasoline blendstocks from one refinery to another. Finally, we are proposing to update certain ASTM designated analytical test methods for reformulated and conventional gasoline to their most recent ASTM version, and also update several sampling methods to their most recent ASTM version. These updates will allow improvements in the test method procedures and sampling procedures that would ensure better operation for the user of the test methods and sampling procedures.