"A series of overdue regulatory updates to a key part of the nation’s fuel distribution network would slash overall emissions of benzene and other pollutants from those sources by more than one-third, according to a newly released EPA proposal.
The draft package, signed yesterday by agency chief Michael Regan and encompassing several Clean Air Act provisions, in part targets emissions from bulk gasoline storage terminals and the equipment used to load gas into tanker trucks for delivery to service stations.
If the package is made final, EPA predicts that stricter standards and other control requirements would cut releases of hazardous pollutants, a category that includes cancer-causing benzene, from about 6,100 tons to 3,900 tons, a drop of 36 percent. Similarly, annual emissions of smog-forming volatile organic compounds would fall from 121,000 tons to 76,000 tons.
The expected upfront compliance costs to industry add up to almost $67 million. At a time when pump prices are at record highs, EPA says that the added expenses “are not expected to result in a significant market impact, regardless of whether they are passed on to the purchaser or absorbed by the firms.” For reasons not spelled out in the proposal, EPA also predicts that there will be modest increases in emissions of sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other pollutants."
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