FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MONDAY, SEPT. 15, 2008

NCDA&CS takes steps to increase gas supply in N.C.

RALEIGH - Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler announced today that the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has taken steps to increase the availability of gasoline in the state.

The department is relaxing limits on vapor pressure in gasoline that are in place during warm-weather months. Less stringent limits are in place the rest of the year when temperatures are cooler.

“Fuel supplies in North Carolina have been severely affected because refineries had to shut down prior to hurricanes Gustav and Ike,” Troxler said. “Storm damage and power outages to refineries, the fuel pipelines and other infrastructure have added to this situation. By relaxing the vapor pressure requirements, we are giving stations more options and enabling them to restock more quickly.”

The waiver has no effect on gasoline quality, Troxler said.

The waiver, which will be in effect Sept. 16-30, allows the sale of gasoline with a Reid Vapor Pressure of up to 13.5 pounds per square inch. That RVP level is usually not allowed until Oct. 1. Normally, the limit during the last two weeks of September is 11.5 psi.

From May 1 to Sept. 15, state and federal regulations limit the RVP to 9 psi in most areas of North Carolina, and 7.8 psi in urban areas where summertime ozone levels tend to be higher.

-bal-2