HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Responding to recent consumer complaints of tainted gasoline in eastern Pennsylvania, Auditor General Jack Wagner has called on the General Assembly to immediately require random testing of gasoline for quality.
Noting that Pennsylvania is one of only four states that does not test the octane rating of gasoline sold at retail outlets, Wagner said, With gasoline prices at or near all-time highs at the start of the busy vacation season, the state must make sure that drivers are getting fuel with the proper octane rating, that's free [image-nocss] of water, silt or other contaminants.
Wagner called on the General Assembly to approve House Bill 684 before it recesses for the summer. The bill would require the state Department of Agriculture to begin random octane testing by July 1.
The Department of the Auditor General recommended in January that the Department of Agriculture begin octane testing. The recommendation came after Wagner issued an audit of the Agriculture Department's Bureau of Ride & Measurement Standards, which is responsible for gasoline pump inspections. The audit found that 20% of the gas stations under state jurisdiction had at least one pump that had not been inspected for quantity distribution in more than a year, and that no pumps had been checked for octane since 1999.
Wagner said there have been at least five reported cases of tainted gasoline in eastern Pennsylvania in the past five months. According to the Agriculture Department, there were two reported incidents of tainted gasoline in Montgomery County in April; two in Monroe County, in February and May; and one in Northampton County in January. In addition, a Scranton TV station reported in May that two of three samples of premium gasoline that it collected from three different stations, in Luzerne and Schuylkill counties, were found to have lower octane ratings than their posted rating of 93.
These may be isolated cases, or signs of a wider consumer concern, but we can't know for sure unless the state begins octane testing, Wagner said.
Under current law, the Agriculture Department is required to annually inspect gas pumps under its jurisdiction; however, the law does not require octane testing. Wagner said that octane levels are becoming increasingly important because more vehicles are requiring premium fuel for their engines.
Motorists have a right to know that the octane they are paying for is the octane they are receiving, said Ted Leonard, executive director of Pennsylvania AAA Federations, which supports testing of gasoline quality. Moreover, bad gasoline has caused extensive vehicle damage.
In the Montgomery County cases, one involved a report of contaminated/cloudy gasoline and the other claimed water in the fuel. In Northampton County, a motorist complained that fuel contaminated with metal caused $1,000 in damage to his engine. In Monroe County, a motorist reported purchasing bad gasoline that caused the vehicle to shake.
The commonwealth's failure to randomly test octane ratings raises legitimate concerns about whether Pennsylvania drivers are getting what they pay for, especially those who are purchasing fuel with higher octane ratings, Wagner said. The General Assembly should protect consumers by requiring the Agriculture Department to begin testing immediately.
Wagner said he is hoping the General Assembly passes the legislation by June 30, 2007, or prior to the summer recess.
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