DEP Air Quality Committee To Discuss Repeal Of Low-RVP Gasoline In Pittsburgh

At its December 10 meeting, DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee is scheduled to consider the repeal of the low-RVP (Reid Vapor Pressure) gasoline requirement that applied to only the seven county Pittsburgh Region.

The counties include: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland.

Act 50 of 2014 directed DEP to start the process of repealing the requirement, but only if offsetting air emissions reductions could be found.

In a presentation scheduled for the Committee, DEP said it would offset any emission reductions lost by the repeal of the requirement by taking credit for regulations already on the books, but for which DEP has not yet taken any credit in the State Air Quality Implementation Plan.

DEP conducted a technical analysis to determine the contribution the low-RVP gasoline requirements makes to reduced volatile organic compound emissions and found the difference between low-RVP 7.8 gasoline and the 8.7 RVP gasoline required in other parts of the state was only 0.126 tons per day in 2017 (25.2 pounds).
The low-RVP gasoline requirement routinely caused gasoline to be at least 10 to 15 cents per gallon more expensive in the Pittsburgh region than in nearby states and counties.

For more information and copies of the proposed regulation and presentation, visit DEP’s Air Quality Technical Advisory Committee webpage.