BERKELEY, Calif. & SAN FRANCISCO -- Next year, California gas stations may have another warning label to affix to their pumps--this time for carbon.
The cities of San Francisco and Berkeley are in the process of passing legislation that would require all fuel dispensing facilities to post climate-change warning labels on their fuel nozzles, reported SustainableBusiness.com. Both efforts were triggered by proposals from climate-change action advocacy group 350.org.
A 4 x 6-inch gas-hose label proposed for Berkeley could feature text reading: "Gasoline consumption releases CO2, a greenhouse gas determined by the State of California to contribute to global warming," and it directs consumers to the city website for more information on reducing gasoline consumption.
The city's Community Environmental Advisory Commission (CEAC) had originally considered a nozzle sleeve or dispenser label, but decided on the hose label after further thought and industry input.
The Berkeley City Council will review the proposed ordinance in November.
In its proposal, the CEAC explained that the carbon labels are intended to provide information at the point of purchase to change vehicle use. "These labels are analogous to the health warnings placed on cigarettes," the proposal states. "They are a contributing element to environmental sustainability, though their specific impact is difficult to measure."
Nearly 40 outlets that dispense fuel would be affected by the new carbon-warning label ordinance, most of them convenience stores and gas stations.
In San Francisco, city supervisor John Avalos was poised this week to propose an ordinance requiring gas stations to affix a climate-change warning label on the hose or nozzle. According to a report by SFGate.com, the wording on these labels would state in part:
"The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that a typical passenger vehicle burning one gallon of fuel produces on average almost 20 pounds of tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2), which the EPA has determined is the primary greenhouse gas that is contributing to recent climate change."
The proposal would require fuel retailers to post the labels beginning March 1, 2015, and would levy fines from $100 to $500 for noncompliance.
In response to the Berkeley proposal, the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA) wrote a letter to the City of Berkeley opposing the labels, arguing they violate the First Amendment by forcing businesses to advance the state and city's policy position on global warming, and that they suggest gas station owners are trying to deceive the public.
"The City has not contended, nor can it show, that retailers are engaging in any sort of consumer deception that can only be addressed with labels on gas pumps advancing the state's policy position on climate change," wrote Catherine Reheis-Boyd, president of the WSPA. "This is the type of forced speech that the United States Supreme Court has ruled is absolutely unconstitutional."
Click here for specifications and images for the Berkeley labels.
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