03-03-2014

AFPM responds to EPA tier 3 rule

American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) President Charles T. Drevna responded to the Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Standards:

“EPA’s decision to move forward on Tier 3 is yet the most recent example of the agency’s propensity for illogical and counterproductive rulemaking. Tier 3 not only lacks scientific justification, but in fact will lead to higher greenhouse gas emissions due to the greater energy-intense refining process required to reduce sulfur in gasoline from 30 ppm to just 10 ppm. To date, refiners have achieved a 90 percent reduction in sulfur levels and the nation’s energy-related emissions are at their lowest level since 1994 according to EPA data. The Agency’s own data also shows that in the absence of Tier 3, emission reductions will continue.   

“AFPM met on numerous occasions with EPA and administration officials to outline problems associated with the proposed implementation schedule. Nevertheless, EPA chose to ignore our concerns by setting an unrealistic compliance date of January 1, 2017, which does not provide refiners adequate time to complete the required projects necessary to meet the new standardin a manner that avoids the potential for supply disruptions. Tier 3 will provide little, if any, benefit, while increasing fuel manufacturing costs on the backs of American consumers. Like the Renewable Fuel Standards (RFS), Tier 3 not only adds to uncertainty in the market and to potential supply problems, but actually increases greenhouse gas emissions. 

“EPA was correct to revise the proposed standard and to make E10, or gasoline containing 10 percent ethanol, the required certification fuel. We are pleased that EPA agreed that the certification fuel should be the gasoline most commonly available and used by consumers, which is E10 and not E15 as originally proposed. Unlike E10, which constitutes more than 95 percent of all gasoline sold, E15 is not widely available in the market and is damaging to the majority of vehicles on the road today. EPA’s decision is the right choice because there is no market for E15 for one reason; consumers don’t want the fuel.”