WASHINGTON, March 29, 2013- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its proposed rule today to establish stricter vehicle emissions standards and reduce the sulfur content of gasoline.
The proposed standards of the Tier 3 rule will reduce gasoline sulfur levels by more than 60 percent, down to 10 parts per million (ppm) in 2017. Ethanol producers, as well as gasoline refiners, fuel distributors and other similar entities could be affected by the rule.
EPA said reducing sulfur in gasoline enables vehicle emission control technologies to perform more efficiently. “This means that vehicles built prior to the proposed standards will run cleaner on the new low-sulfur gas, providing significant and immediate benefits by reducing emissions from every gas-powered vehicle on the road,” according to the agency.
However, the American Petroleum Institute said the requirements would likely raise the cost of fuel due to higher costs to refiners. “Government should not be adding unnecessary regulations that raise manufacturing costs, especially when there are no proven environmental benefits,” API Downstream Group Director Bob Greco said in a statement.
Once published in the Federal Register, the proposal will be available for public comment and EPA said it will hold public hearings to receive further public input.
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