EPA says US gas stations do not need rubber boots for fuel filler hose
ERJ staff report (LMH)
Washington, DC -- The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that the rubber boot systems used at petrol station pumps to capture harmful petrol and diesel vapours while refuelling cars can be phased out.
Currently, rubber-based systems are used to trap vapour emissions but modern vehicles are equipped to capture those emissions. This final rule is part of the Obama Administration's initiative to ensure that regulations protect public health and the environment without being unnecessarily burdensome to American businesses, according to the EPA's announcement.
Beginning later this year, states may begin the process of phasing out vapour recovery systems at the pump since some 70 percent of all vehicles are equipped with on-board systems that capture these vapours.
This final rule will ensure that air quality and public health are protected while potentially saving the approximately 31 000 affected petrol stations located in mostly urban areas more than $3000 each year when fully implemented.
Since 1994, petrol stations in areas that do not meet certain air quality standards have been required to use fuel vapour recovery systems. The systems capture fumes that escape from fuel tanks during refuelling.
However, as required by the US Clean Air Act, car manufacturers began installing onboard refuelling vapour recovery (ORVR) technologies in 1998, making petrol stations' systems increasingly redundant. Since 2006, all new automobiles and light trucks (pickups, vans and SUVs) are equipped with ORVR systems, EPA noted.
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Press release from EPA
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