Stage II vapor recovery systems control volatile organic compound (VOC) vapor releases during the refueling of motor vehicles. This process takes the vapors normally emitted directly into the atmosphere when pumping [image-nocss] gasoline and recycles them back into the fuel storage tanks, preventing them from polluting the air.
According to a report by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), the Clean Air Act empowers the EPA to repeal these requirements once onboard vapor recovery systems installed on vehicles reach "widespread use." The definition of widespread use, however, has been a source of contention for several years.
The current move is in response to President Obama's executive order on regulation (click here to read the full text of the executive order) issued earlier this year to eliminate red tape and billions of dollars in regulatory costs. More than 30 agencies have now released their strategies to comply with the order.
The order instructs government agencies when making new regulations to "always consider costs and ways to reduce burdens for American businesses when developing rules; expand opportunities for public participation and public comment; and ensure that regulations are driven by real science." The President also called for a government-wide review of regulations already on the books. As a result of that review, more than two dozen agencies have identified initiatives to reduce burdens and save money.
Click hereto view the White House Regulatory Reform website.
Click hereto view the EPA's "Improving Our Regulations: A Preliminary Plan for
Periodic Retrospective Reviews of Existing Regulations."
Concerning Stage II vapor recovery, it says: "Vehicle fuel vapor recovery systems: eliminating redundancy. Onboard refueling vapor recovery technology on today's gasoline-powered vehicles effectively controls harmful air emissions as cars and trucks refuel, thereby eliminating the need for controls at the gas pump. This ongoing review is intended to eliminate the gas dispenser-based vapor control requirements that have become redundant due to this onboard technology, and thereby relieve states of the obligation to require pump-based Stage II vapor recovery systems at gasoline stations. EPA expects to issue a proposed rulemaking, entitled 'Widespread Use of Onboard Refueling Vapor Recovery,' in summer 2011. Taking into consideration the costs associated with the removal of vapor recovery equipment and the use of less expensive conventional equipment on the gasoline dispensers, as well as the reductions in record-keeping requirements and other operating costs, EPA estimates the long-term cost savings associated with this rule to be approximately $67 million per year ($2011)."
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