EPA~s Approval of a Request from Tennessee to Relax the Summer Gasoline Volatility Standard for the Middle Tennessee Area; and Minor Technical Corrections for Federal Reid Vapor Pressure Gasoline Volatility Standards in Other Areas: Regulatory Announcement

I EPA's Approval of a Request from
I Tennessee to Relax the Summer
I Gasoline Volatility Standard for the
I MiddleTennessee Area; and Minor
I Technical Corrections for Federal Reid
Vapor Pressure Gasoline Volatility
<£ Standards in Other Areas
-------
Key Elements of the Final Rule
• This rulemaking becomes effective upon its publication in the Federal Register. This
rulemaking relaxes the volatility requirements for gasoline sold in the Middle Tennessee
Area during the summer ozone season which runs from June 1 to September 15 of each
year. Specifically, this final rule amends the federal RVP gasoline standard for the Middle
Tennessee Area from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi provided at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2).
• In order to relax the applicable federal RVP standard in an area where the more strin-
gent federal RVP of 7.8 psi is required, an area must be designated as (or redesignated to)
attainment. In most cases, the area must also submit a maintenance plan demonstrating
continued attainment of the ozone national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)
with the less stringent RVP standard in place.
• EPA Region 4 recently conducted a separate rulemaking that approved Tennessee's SIP
revision. The SIP revision rulemaking evaluated whether the relaxation of the federal
RVP gasoline requirement would not interfere with continued maintenance of the 1997
ozone NAAQS or any other applicable NAAQS, including the 2015 ozone NAAQS.
Tennessee submitted the SIP revision with the non-interference demonstration to EPA
on November 21, 2016. EPA proposed the approval of the SIP revision on February 24,
2017 (82 FR 11519), and no adverse comments were received. EPA finalized its approval
of the SIP revision on May 1, 2017 (82 FR 20260). On April 12, 2017, EPA published
an NPRM for today's action, and the comments received were not within the scope of
EPA's rulemaking.
• Relaxing the volatility requirements for gasoline sold in the Middle Tennessee Area
could be beneficial because this action could improve the fungibility of gasoline in the
Area. With this final rulemaking, the gasoline sold in the Middle Tennessee Area can be
identical to the fuel sold now in most of the rest of Tennessee. For motorists, the change
in summertime gasoline volatility specifications will be virtually unnoticed.
• EPA is also making several minor technical corrections to address clerical errors made in
prior rulemakings that relaxed the gasoline RVP standard in other areas.
Background
In 1987, EPA determined that gasoline nationwide had become increasingly volatile, causing an
increase in evaporative emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment. Evaporative
emissions from gasoline, referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are precursors to
the formation of tropospheric ozone and contribute to the nation's ground-level ozone problem.
Ground-level ozone causes health problems, including damaged lung tissue, reduced lung func-
tion, and lung sensitization to other pollutants.
The most common measure of fuel volatility is RVP. To provide for cleaner air and greater public
health protection, EPA enforces maximum limits on the RVP of gasoline sold during the summer
ozone season which runs from June 1 to September 15 of each year. Specifically, EPA's regulations
-------
at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2) establish maximum RVP standards of 9.0 psi or 7.8 psi depending on the
state, the month, and the area's initial ozone designation with respect to the ozone NAAQS
during the summer ozone season.
The Middle Tennessee Area has an approved 10-year maintenance plan for the 1997 ozone
NAAQS and is designated as attainment for the 2008 ozone NAAQS and is currently attaining
the 2015 ozone NAAQS. As described above, EPA evaluated whether the Middle Tennessee
Area will continue to attain the ozone NAAQS, and any other applicable NAAQS, if the RVP
standard is relaxed from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi during the summer ozone season. On May 1, 2017,
EPA issued a final rule that approved the revision to the 10-year maintenance plan and deter-
mined that the relaxation of the RVP during the summer ozone season would not interfere with
the attainment of the ozone NAAQS (82 FR 20260).
For More Information
You can access the rule and related documents on the EPA's Office of Transportation and Air
Quality Web site at: www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/gasolinefuels/volatility/index.htm
For further information on this final rule, please contact:
David Dickinson
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
202-343-9256
E-mail: dickinson.david@epa.gov
Rudy Kapichak
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Transportation and Air Quality
2000 Traverwood Drive
Ann Arbor, MI 48105
734-214-4574
E-mail: kapichak.mdolph@epa.gov
-------