The Department of Environmental Protection is scheduled to hold a hearing April 9 on a proposed amendment to the state’s Air Quality Plan to eliminate the low-RVP summer gasoline requirement in the Pittsburgh Region.  (formal notice)

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

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.

The regulation making the change has already gone through public review and was approved as final by the Environmental Quality on December 12 after three public hearings.  It was also been approved by the Independent Regulatory Review Commission on February 22, after a review by the House and Senate Environmental Committees, without any public comments.

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).

DEP’s Bureau of Air Quality concluded the low-RVP gasoline requirement in the Pittsburgh Region contributed minimally to improved air quality and was trending toward no air quality benefits for the region.

The hearing will be held at DEP’s Southwest Regional Office, 400 Waterfront Drive in Pittsburgh starting at 1:00.

Persons wishing to present testimony should contact Amanda Rodriguez, P.O. Box 8468, Harrisburg, PA 17105, 717-787-9702 or send email to: amarodrigu@pa.gov to reserve a time. Speakers will be limited to 10 minutes and should provide two written copies of their comments.

The hearing will be canceled if no person has requested to testify at the hearing by 12 p.m. on April 4, 2018. The Department will provide public notice if the hearing is cancelled on the Bureau of Air Quality webpage. Persons may also contact Amanda Rodriguez at 717-787-9702 or send email to: amarodrigu@pa.gov to find out if the hearing is canceled.

Public comments are due April 9.

Click Here for additional information from the March 10 PA Bulletin notice.

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[Posted: March 9, 2018]

3/12/2018