Analysis of a Proposed Rule:

Extension of the Reformulated Gasoline Program to the St. Louis, Missouri Moderate Ozone Nonattainment Area"

On September 15, 1998, the Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register a proposed rule with the document identification of fr15se9831. The proposal would ban the sale of conventional gasoline in the St. Louis, Missouri area to everyone but retailers and wholesale purchasers by May 1, 1999. A total ban on all sales would be enforced beginning on June 1, 1999. Following the implementation of the ban, all gasoline sold in the region would be of reformulated gas (RFG), a formulation discovered by the gasoline industry in the late 1980s (Regulation of fuels..., 1998, 49317).

The rule was proposed because St. Louis was designated a "non-attainment zone" under the 1990 Clean Air Act. That act was intended to reduce auto emissions and smog in key urban areas, and included provisions to enforce non-compliance with the act. Originally, the act intended to limit the use of gasoline in cars and to encourage the use of alternative fuels. The EPA contended that gasoline use in cars contributed greatly to high concentrations of ground-level ozone, which it found to be highly toxic to humans. Additionally, the combustion of gasoline in automobile engines also emitted high levels of carbon monoxide, a "greenhouse gas" that is believed to contribute to the

. . .
bout $.05 per gallon (Origin of the..., 1995, 1). The major direct cost, then, is to consumers, and this is lost in the generally low gas prices in the current economic climate. Additionally, it is claimed that RFG has higher octane levels, and actually enhances the performance of engines, thus mitigating somewhat the increased cost of the fuel itself. The auto and oil industries launched a combined $40 million research project in 1989 to test the interaction of auto pollutioncontrol equipment and RFG blends. On conclusion of the project last year, the findings were summarized: "The purpose of the study  the largest and most comprehensive ever undertaken  was to create a database of information for legislators and regulators to use in setting air quality goals for the nation. The study closely examined the special "reformulated" gasoline required since the passage of the Clean Air Act of 1990. The findings show that auto tests using RFG with 11 percent of MTBE showed a 28 to 37 percent drop in ozone (a key precursor to smog)compared with the level produced from conventional gas. The reformulated gas also substantially lowered levels of carbon monoxide and air toxins like cancercausing benzene. The test also showed 's
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Air Act, Additionally United, St Louis, Francisco Chronicle, EPA Agency, Sciences NAS, Louis Missouri, Additionally MTBE, Unknown MTBE, Albert Gore, clean air, clean air act, air act, st louis, regulation fuels, reformulated gasoline, reformulated gas, proposed rule, effects mtbe, september 15, joseph 1997, fuels overview 1992, regulation fuels 1998, air act 1990, st louis missouri,
Approximate Word count = 3717
Approximate Pages = 15 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Analysis of a Proposed Rule: