Office of Transportation EPA420-F-05-034 Environmental Protection and Air Quality September 2005 Agency Regulatory Announcement Final Rulemaking Revising MSAT Default Baseline Values The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a final rulemaking which revises the Mobile Source Air Toxics (MSAT) Rule default baseline values. This rulemaking also corrects an error in the MSAT reformulated gasoline (RFG) default baseline value published in the original rule. Background The final MSAT rule, published March 29, 2001 (as Control of Emis- sions of Hazardous Air Pollutants From Mobile Sources), requires that the annual average toxics performance level of gasoline produced or imported beginning in 2002 must be at least as clean as the average performance level of the gasoline produced or imported during the baseline period 1998-2000. Toxics performance is determined separately for each refinery and importer. Toxics performance is also determined separately for RFG and conventional gasoline. The MSAT default baseline applies to the gasoline of those parties who cannot establish a unique individual MSAT baseline under the MSAT rules. Such parties may not have existed during the MSAT baseline period, or did not have sufficient gasoline production or import activity during that period. The default MSAT baseline is an estimate of the nationwide annual average toxics performance level of gasoline. Toxics ------- performance data from calendar year 2000 was not yet available when the 2001 MSAT rule was promulgated. In that rule, we committed to revise the default MSAT baseline values once the 2000 data became available. This rulemaking fulfills that commitment. The proposed rule for this rulemaking was published on January 4, 2005. We had proposed that the revised values would be effective with the annual compliance period beginning January 1, 2005. Consid- ering the timing of the proposed and final rules, and comments from refining indus- try representatives, we are instead finaliz- ing an effective date of January 1, 2006. Industry representatives commented that a compliance period beginning the year following promulgation of the revised values would provide sufficient lead time to prepare for the new requirements, as long as promulgation occurred by Septem- ber 30. This rulemaking also corrects an error in the original rule affecting the RFG default baseline value. The corrected value is effective for the 2002-2005 compliance periods. Health Environmental Benefits The final MSAT rule set gasoline toxic emission performance standards to ensure that refiners and importers maintain their average 1998-2000 gasoline toxic emis- sion performance levels. This rule updat- ing the default MSAT baseline values does not change the environmental analyses discussed in the final MSAT rule. Effect on Industry The revised conventional gasoline default baseline value is less stringent than the current conventional gasoline value. The revised RFG default baseline value is slightly more stringent than the current RFG value. Nonetheless, EPA expects this rule to have minimal economic conse- quences. For More Information Information on the rulemaking is available from the EPA Air Docket (202-566-1742); please refer to Docket No. OAR-2002- 0042. In addition, you can access the final rule and related documents on EPAs Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ) Web site at: www.epa.gov/otaq/toxics.htm For further information on this final rule, please contact Christine Brunner at: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory 2000 Traverwood Drive Ann Arbor, MI 48105 (734)214-4287 E-mail: brunner.christine@epa.gov ------- |