On December 10, DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee recommended DEP take the proposed regulation repealing the low-RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) gasoline requirement in the seven county Pittsburgh Region to the Environmental Quality Board for adoption.

The low-RVP requirement affects Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland.

The regulation routinely caused gasoline to be at least 10 to 15 cents per gallon more expensive in the Pittsburgh region than in nearby states and counties.

DEP conducted a technical analysis to determine the contribution the low-RVP gasoline requirement makes to reducing volatile organic compound emissions.  DEP found the emissions benefit difference between low-RVP 7.8 gasoline and the 8.7 RVP gasoline required in other parts of the state was only 0.126 tons per day in 2017 (25.2 pounds).

Joyce Epps, Director of DEP Bureau of Air Quality, and DEP Air Quality staff noted in the meeting the low-RVP gasoline in the Pittsburgh Region contributed minimal and trending to no air quality benefits for the region.

Act 50 of 2014 directed DEP to start the process of repealing the requirement, but only if offsetting air emissions reductions could be found.

In a presentation to the Committee, DEP said it would offset any emission reductions lost by the repeal of the requirement by taking credit for regulations already on the books, but for which DEP has not yet taken any credit in the State Air Quality Implementation Plan.

The next step in the process is for DEP to develop the regulatory package on the rule repeal for action by the Environmental Quality Board, which adopts all of DEP’s regulations.

For more information and copies of the proposed regulation and presentation, visit DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee webpage.

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