Rep. Caraveo pushes Biden to exempt Colorado from reformulated gas
DENVER (KDVR) — Reformulated gas will be mandated in portions of the Front Range starting June 1, and U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo is pressing President Joe Biden to grant Colorado a waiver from the mandate.
Caraveo’s goal stems from a 1990 regulation issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to create summer and winter formula blends in gasoline. From June 1 through Sept. 15, the EPA regulates gasoline’s “Reid vapor pressure,” a measure designed to help regulate ozone levels in metropolitan areas.
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The EPA rated the Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Fort Collins-Loveland area a “severe” violator of ozone pollution standards, prompting the agency to regulate summer gas formulas.
Specifically, the EPA will require gasoline with lower vapor pressure during warm months, which is designed to reduce air pollution since the fuel evaporates at a slower rate at higher temperatures. The winter-grade fuel has higher vapor pressure, allowing cars to start more easily.
Motorists could see some changes: The fuel is more efficient, but summer-grade fuel is also more expensive.
“This mandate will ultimately hurt Coloradans at the gas pump and will lead to unnecessary environmental harm to vulnerable communities,” Caraveo wrote to the president’s office. “That is why I was disappointed to learn the Environmental Protection Agency will not be granting a waiver from the (reformulated gas) mandate for Colorado at this time.”
Not every gas station will be required to operate under the RFG mandate — the measure is for certain nonattainment areas because of the Clean Air Act provision, which Caraveo called “out-of-date.” Caraveo also said Colorado has made “great strides” in addressing ozone issues at a state level, but said the mandate does not consider the state’s efforts to reduce ozone precursor emissions.
Counties in the “nonattainment area” (areas that did not attain the needed air quality) include Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and parts of Larimer and Weld.
Caraveo wrote that Colorado lacks the infrastructure. She said “vulnerable” communities may have oil and gas infrastructure expanded and said the Suncor refinery is one of the few facilities prepared to support the RFG mandate. The refinery is part of Caraveo’s congressional district.
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“Suncor has a long track record of negative environmental impacts from air emissions to (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances) discharge,” Caraveo wrote to Biden. “I am concerned about the surrounding community and placing such a high responsibility on a facility with this type of history when it has been meeting a third of Colorado demand.”
On Tuesday, AAA reported the national average price of gas was $3.66, while Colorado’s average price was $3.11. Also on Tuesday, East Coast prices (where some gas stations have switched to reformulated gas) ranged from $3.26 in South Carolina to $3.75 in Connecticut.
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