August 2, 1999
Huge Air Quality Benefits for the Western States: If
Regulations ApprovedOil Refineries At Odds
With Auto Industry, Key State Officials, Environmental Experts And Public
Pointing to the tremendous air quality benefits for the Western states,
the Environmental Defense Fund is calling on the US Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to adopt its proposed rule to clean up air
pollution from cars, trucks, minivans and SUVs. The rule's first element
would require new cleaner car technology, and the second, cleaner
low-sulfur gasoline. The official public comment period ended today on the
proposal, and a decision by the Clinton Administration is expected later
this year. Thousands of citizens from across the country have submitted
comments to EPA expressing their support for EPA's proposal.
"EPA's proposal would deliver cleaner, healthier air to the Western
states," said Vickie Patton, EDF attorney. "To realize the tremendous air
quality benefits at stake we need both cleaner cars and cleaner gas."
Automobile manufacturers have strongly supported cleaner low-sulfur
gasoline, a critical ingredient for the new clean car technology. Many in
the petroleum industry have objected to EPA's low-sulfur gasoline
initiative and have called for an exception to allow dirty, high sulfur
gasoline in the West, which would severely undercut the benefits from
emerging clean car technology for Western states residents.
An analysis completed by the State and Territorial Air Pollution
Program Administrators/Association of Local Air Pollution Control
Officials, an organization of state and local air quality officials that
supports EPA's proposal, demonstrates how much pollution the proposed
standards could eliminate. In the Western states, the analysis found that
with cleaner low-sulfur gasoline the air quality benefits are comparable
to removing 222,140 cars from Montana, 51,401 from Nevada, 421,189 from
New Mexico, 177,586 from North Dakota, 193,489 from South Dakota, and
478,952 from Utah.
In dramatic contrast to the general oil industry opposition, earlier
this month British Petroleum Amoco began offering low-sulfur premium
gasoline at hundreds of service stations in the Atlanta area. The gasoline
is slated to meet EPA's proposed low-sulfur fuel standard without a price
increase.
"Support from key state officials, environmentalists and auto
manufacturers, combined with the introduction of low-sulfur gasoline in
Atlanta provides powerful evidence that EPA's proposal is right on the
mark," said Patton. "Cleaner, healthier air in Colorado is within reach if
EPA and the Western states stand up to the oil industry lobbyists that are
fighting against cleaner air in the West."
The Environmental Defense Fund, a leading national NY-based nonprofit
organization, represents 300,000 members. EDF links science, economics,
and law to create innovative, equitable, and economically viable solutions
to today's environmental problems.
You
can help clear the air! What's in your local air?
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