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April 6, 1999
Public Consultation Meeting to Discuss Amendments to the The California Air Resources Board (ARB or Board) staff is holding a public consultation meeting to obtain and discuss comments relating to proposed amendments to the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulations. The public consultation meeting will be held at the time and location shown below:
The ARB staff is proposing two amendments to the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulations. The first proposed amendment is related to the fuel requirements in the Lake Tahoe Air Basin. The second proposed amendment addresses gasoline service station labeling requirements for gasoline containing Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE). At the August 1998 Board Hearing, the Board adopted amendments to Title 13 California Code of regulations, section 2250 et seq. The Board action rescinded the requirement for a minimum of 1.8 percent oxygen in every batch of winter gasoline in areas where a minimum oxygen requirement is no longer needed to achieve and maintain compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for carbon monoxide (CO). In the Lake Tahoe Air Basin, gasoline sold after January 31, 2000, would no longer need to meet the wintertime oxygenate requirement. At this public consultation meeting, the staff is proposing to change the implementation date of the Board’s action from January 31, 2000 to October 1, 1999 for the Lake Tahoe Air Basin. Current maximum ambient 8-hour average CO concentrations in the basin are between 3 and 5 ppm averaged over eight hours. The addition of oxygenates to gasoline in November 1992 as required by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, resulted in a 10 percent reduction in CO concentrations. Retirement of the oxygenated fuel implies no more than a 10 percent increase in CO concentrations. Therefore, maximum ambient 8-hour average CO concentrations would remain about one half the NAAQS for CO of 9.0 ppm averaged over 8 hours; and no more than 5.5 ppm compared to the State Ambient Air Quality Standard of 6 ppm. At the public consultation meeting, the ARB staff will present an overview of the proposed amendments to the California Reformulated Gasoline Regulations and also the rationale for proposed amendments. Following the staff presentation, the meeting will be open for general discussion. An agenda is provided in Attachment 1. If you have any questions about the public consultation meeting or the proposed amendments to the regulations, please contact Debora Popejoy, Manager of the Air Quality Analysis Section, at (916) 323-5123, ordpopejoy@arb.ca.gov for the fuel requirements for Lake Tahoe Air Basin and contact Gary Yee, Manager of the Industrial Section at (916) 327-5986, or gyee@arb.ca.gov for the labeling requirements. For further information, visit our web site at www.arb.ca.gov/fuels/gasoline/regact/tahoe/not050699.htm.
AGENDA I. STAFF PRESENTATION
II. GENERAL DISCUSSION
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