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Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I want to take this opportunity to applaud BP/Amoco for its decision to provide cleaner gasoline to the Chicago Metropolitan Area. BP/Amoco recently announced that it will begin offering lower sulfur premium gasoline immediately and that it intends to provide lower sulfur gasoline in all three grades by 2001--three years ahead of the requirement for lower sulfur gasoline proposed by EPA.
The average sulfur content of gasoline sold in Chicago today is approximately 300 ppm. BP/Amoco's decision will reduce the sulfur content in its gasolines to 30 ppm. As a cosponsor of legislation to cap the sulfur content of gasoline--S. 172, the Clean Gasoline Act of 1999--I believe reducing sulfur levels in gasoline is an extremely cost-effective way to improve our nation's air quality.
It is estimated that when fully implemented, lower-sulfur gasoline offered by BP/Amoco will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions--one of the precursors to the formation of ozone--by about 3 tons per day. That is the equivalent of removing 70,000 cars from Chicago's highways every day.
BP/Amoco's decision to voluntarily reduce the sulfur content of gasoline sold in Chicago means cleaner, healthier air for the residents of the Chicago metropolitan area. It demonstrates again that when we work together we can ensure continued economic growth and protect our environment.
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