RVP Waiver

Fuel Waivers:

EPA issued an expanded fuel waiver that waives summer Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) requirements in 38 states and Washington, D.C. The waiver will temporarily remove the requirements for low volatility conventional gasoline and Reformulated Gasoline (RFG) in the following areas, through September 15:

•             East Coast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia;

•             Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Wisconsin;

•             Gulf coast: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, and Texas.

Under this temporary waiver, regulated parties may produce, sell, or distribute winter gasoline (including gasoline blendstocks for oxygenate blending (BOBs)) with an RVP of 11.5 pounds per square inch (psi) before the addition of any ethanol in conventional gasoline areas within the designated states. In addition, EPA will allow regulated parties to produce, sell, or distribute conventional winter gasoline (including BOBs) with an RVP of 11.5 psi before the addition of any ethanol in any RFG covered area within the designated states and D.C. Finally, EPA waived the regulatory provision prohibiting any person from combining any RFG blendstock for oxygenate blending with any other gasoline, blendstock, or oxygenate, unless certain conditions are met.

Click here for complete information.

US Department of ENERGY

Tropical Storm Harvey Update

August 29, 2017

Please see the attached DOE sit rep #8. Weather predictions indicate the storm may again make landfall over southeast Texas Wednesday. Periods of torrential rain will continue over parts of Texas and Louisiana the next several days, worsening flooding in some areas. The status of operations of oil and natural gas infrastructure has not changed from this morning’s sit rep #7.

The latest Department of Energy situation report on Hurricane Harvey is available here.

B-10 Mandate

We have had a few calls to the Association office regarding the sale of B-10 in Minnesota.  On April 30, 2014 Governor Mark Dayton signed a bill that modified the biodiesel mandate chapter 239.77. The following should help you understand the changes and what actions you will need to take to sell biodiesel at retail…
•    On April 1, 2017 through September 30, 2017, considered warm months, the biodiesel content must be at least 10% biodiesel fuel by volume going forward.
•    During the cold weather months, October 1 through March 31, the biodiesel mandate reverts back to at least 5% biodiesel fuel by volume.
•    On April 1, 2018 through September 30, 2018 the biodiesel mandate moves to 20% biodiesel fuel by volume.
•    #2 Biodiesel Exemptions include…
•    Motors located at an electric generating plant regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
•    Railroad locomotives.
•    Off-road taconite and copper mining equipment and machinery.
•    Off-road logging equipment and machinery.
•    Vessels of the United States Coast Guard and vessels subject to inspection under United States Code, title 46, section 3301.
•    Generators tested and validated by an entity that designs and manufactures the generators for use in jurisdictions where biodiesel use is not required.
•    The exemptions listed above do not have a sunset date.
•    Number 1 diesel fuel is exempt year round until May 21, 2020.
•    The Federal Trade Commission sticker (see below) is required at the point-of-sale on all retail diesel fuel pumps.