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Dear PEI Member:
The U.S. EPA has issued a letter to gasoline retailers, warning that it is
illegal under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to sell ethanol blends above E10 for
use in gasoline-only vehicles and engines. Ethanol blends up to E85 may be
sold, of course, for use in flexible-fuel vehicles and engines.
The CAA authorizes EPA to assess significant civil penalties for improper
blending of fuel and for misfueling motor vehicles and non-road engines. To
ensure proper fueling, EPA suggests that retail gasoline stations selling
gasoline blended with more than 10 percent ethanol for use in
flexible-fueled vehicles or engines provide labels on dispensers and
restrict access to pumps dispensing blends over E10. EPA cites card-lock
systems as a way to restrict access and reduce the likelihood of violations.
The letter from EPA goes on to say that setting other pumps away from those
pumps dispensing fuel containing greater than 10 percent ethanol, in
combination with labels and card lock systems, "could also help prevent
violations." It is important to note that these are only voluntary
recommendations, and not regulatory requirements.
In a related matter, a recent survey of petroleum equipment firms
compiled by PEI suggests that less than 10 percent of the refueling
facilities in the United States are presently capable of storing, metering
and dispensing E20 without eventual equipment failure due to
incompatibility with E20. Survey respondents cited the following equipment
currently in use at existing refueling sites that they believed needed to be
retrofitted to accommodate E20: dispensers, submersible pumps, hanging
hardware, release-detection equipment, tanks, piping and spill containment.
Those responding to the survey were not sure if the equipment currently in
use could store, meter and dispense E15 without developing
compatibility problems somewhere down the road. PEI shared the findings of
its survey with EPA officials July 30.
EPA REJECTS ETHANOL WAIVER REQUEST FROM
TEXAS
The Environmental Protection Agency announced August 7 that it denied a
request from Texas Governor Rick Perry to cut the federal biofuels mandate
in half for a year. The amount of biofuels required by law remains at 9
billion gallons in 2008 and 11.1 billion gallons in 2009. Perry asked EPA in
April to drop the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) to 4.5 billion gallons in
2008 because it was artificially raising food prices. EPA denied the waiver
request because it did not find that the RFS caused "severe economic harm."
ALTERNATIVE FUEL NOTES
A bill offered by US Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) would compel U.S.
automakers to make 10 percent of their fleets run on natural gas by 2018.
The measure would also offer new incentives to make natural gas more readily
available for drivers, and could enable the installation of natural gas
dispensers at some 20,000 gasoline stations across the United States.--Oil
Daily, August 4, 2008.
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EPA Warns About
Unauthorized Ethanol Blending
EPA Rejects Ethanol
Waiver Request
Alternative Fuels
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India has reportedly shelved plans to develop a biofuels
industry amid growing concern about the role of biofuels in rising food
prices and their effect on the environment. A government committee set up
to consider plans to produce biodiesel in India rejected the proposal,
according to India's Economic Times.
Petrobras, Brazil's state oil company, opened its first biodiesel
plant July 29. The plant, located in the northern state of Bahia, has
production capacity of 57 million liters per year. Petrobras will build two
additional plants with equal capacity this year in the states of Minas Gerais and Ceara. By 2012, Petrobras expects to produce 940 million liters
of biodiesel annually. Brazil's government raised the required biodiesel
content of diesel fuel from 2 percent to 3 percent in July, and by 2013
plans to increase the blend to 5 percent.
BRIEFLY NOTED
A new list of contacts for each California air pollution control
district who can provide information on enhanced vapor recovery (EVR) is
available
here.
"The country will lose 5,000 gas stations this year, more than twice
as many as last year and the worst dropout rate since the 2001 recession."--The
Kiplinger Letter, July 25, 2008.
The results of a California Air Resources Board (CARB) study of emissions
from ORVR vehicles at a facility with no Stage II vapor recovery is now
available. The study is entitled
Measurement of Gasoline
Vapor Emissions from Vehicles Equipped with Onboard Vapor Recovery.
CROUSE NAMED PRESIDENT OF OPW FUELING COMPONENTS
Dover Fluid Management, a division of Dover Corporation, has named David
Crouse president of OPW Fueling Components. Crouse has 17 years of
experience in the petroleum equipment industry. He spent 6 years with OPW
Fueling Components in various capacities, initially as the vice president of
international sales. He has served as president of OPW Fuel Management
Systems and later as president of OPW Fluid Transfer Group.
PETROLEUM MARKETING NOTES
LUKoil has bought Akpet, a Turkish gasoline retailer which
supplies petroleum products to 693 dealer customers.
Albertson's LLC, Boise, Idaho, has announced that it has sold its 15
fuel centers in Florida to DBR Lease Exchange LLC. With the sale of
the fuel centers, Albertson's has left the fuel market to concentrate on
selling food and drugs.
Heartland Inc., Cumberland Gap, Tennessee, has signed a letter of
intent to acquire the stock of Lee Oil Co., Lee's Food Marts, and Lee
Enterprises Inc., Middlesboro, Kentucky. Lee Oil operates 14 Lee Food
Mart locations in Tennessee and Kentucky.
Harbinger Capital Partners, a private equity firm, has taken a 6.6
percent stake in Sunoco, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
EZ Energy Ltd., a subsidiary of EZ Energy USA Inc., Mansfield, Ohio,
will buy 15 stations and convenience stores in central Pennsylvania from
BP Products North America.
U.S. OIL DEMAND DOWN, WORLD CONSUMPTION CONTINUES TO GROW
Preliminary data shows that US oil consumption is down 860,000 barrels
per day in the first seven months of the year compared with the same period
last year. Overall global oil demand is still rising thanks to China and the
Mideast, and was up an estimated 540,000 barrels per day in July. The big
question for gasoline retailers in the United States now is whether the
lower demand is simply the result of consumers cutting back temporarily
because of high prices or whether the changes are structural.
DEATHS
Harry Harlan, a 40-year veteran of Lincoln Industrial, died last month
at his home in Rosharon, Texas, after a long battle with cancer. He started
with the company as a salesman in Southern California and received numerous
promotions over his long career. Harry is survived by his wife of 41 years,
JoAnn; a son, Wade; and two daughters, Shannon and Devon.
William R. (Bill) Rasmussen, founder of Nu*Star, Inc., Shakopee,
Minnesota, passed away peacefully July 29 in his home. He was 74. Bill was
an original investing board member of the Minnesota North Stars, was active
in varied business pursuits and philanthropic interests, and led Nu*Star
until the time of his death. Survivors include his wife, Joette; nine
children; and twelve grandchildren.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Massachusetts service and construction company. Bolduc Mechanical
Services, Inc., 20 Sylvester Hamilton Road, Chester, Massachusetts 01011,
has applied for service and construction division membership. Dennis K.
Bolduc is vice president of the firm, which was established in 1985. Bolduc
installs and services automotive lifts, lubrication equipment, exhaust
systems and compressors. Sponsored for PEI membership by John Nolan, JWKennedy, East Providence, RI.
Ohio petroleum storage tank contractor. Genesis Contracting, Inc.,
6505 Angola Road, Holland, Ohio 43528, has applied for membership in the
service and construction division of PEI. James Gordon is the chief
financial officer for the firm, which was established in 1998. Genesis
designs, permits, installs and removes underground and aboveground storage
tank systems. Sponsored for PEI membership by Bruce F. Larson, OWLarsonCo,
Clarkston, MI. ADMITTED TO PEI
- Atris Petroleum Machinery Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou City, Zhengzhou, China
(mfr)
- Strandberg Associates, Menlo Park, CA (aff)
- Ramon Casillas Navarro, Autoservicio Tesistan, Zapopan, Jalisco,
Mexico (O&E)
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