EPA Outlines Difficult Path to Expanding Ethanol Free Fuel Access in Virginia
An effort to make ethanol free fuel (E-0) available at more Virginia marinas would require significant reviews and tradeoffs in some areas and would be untenable in Northern Virginia, according to the EPA. As directed by the state legislature, the Department of Environmental Quality sought an exemption from the federal Reformulated Gasoline Program (RFG) for marinas located in the areas of Hampton Roads, Richmond-Petersburg and Northern Virginia.
The EPA’s response: before marinas around Hampton Roads and Richmond can opt-out of using RFG, the state must request that EPA remove RFG mandates for all engine types in these areas. Additionally, the state would have to show that these areas still meet Clean Air Act standards, which likely would require the state to identify offsets to the increased pollution caused by E-0. The use of gasoline-ethanol blends is mandated by the Clean Air Act in Northern Virginia because of past air quality issues faced by the Washington DC region.
For more information, contact David Dickerson, [email protected].