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newsrel -- Three petroleum suppliers fined for gasoline that violated California air quality regulations

Posted: 20 Nov 2014 16:32:03
Please consider the following news release from the California
Air Resources Board: http://bit.ly/11HZ0Gp

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 20, 2014

NEWS RELEASE 14-86

CONTACT:

Melanie Turner
(916) 322-2990
melanie.turner@arb.ca.gov


Three petroleum suppliers fined for gasoline that violated
California air quality regulations

SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board today announced
it has fined three petroleum product suppliers — Petro-Diamond
Inc. of Irvine, Houston-based Vitol Inc. and Shell Oil Products
US — for failure to comply with California air quality
regulations.

Vitol, Petro-Diamond and Shell were fined $70,000, $50,000 and
$45,000, respectively.

The fines were for gasoline that did not comply with California’s
air quality regulations, and were specifically for different
violations of the composition of what is known as CARBOB or
California Reformulated Gasoline Blendstock for Oxygenate
Blending.  CARBOB is the ‘blendstock’ form of gasoline before an
oxygenate, such as ethanol, is added to it to make finished
gasoline found at gas stations. In each of these violations, the
company either supplied, offered for supply, sold, offered for
sale or transported non-complying fuel. In the Petro-Diamond
case, about 210,000 gallons of the non-complying fuel made it
into commerce, resulting in emissions consequences. 

“Companies must demonstrate that their products will not result
in excess emissions into our air,” said Enforcement Chief Jim
Ryden. “Periodic testing of fuel by companies and inspections by
ARB assures that Californians will not be exposed to harmful air
pollutants.”

In each case company representatives cooperated fully throughout
ARB’s investigation and settlement process. In the case of
Petro-Diamond, a routine inspection of fuel in the distribution
system by ARB’s enforcement staff revealed that Petro-Diamond
supplied CARBOB with a Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) exceeding the
state standard from its Long Beach terminal. Gasoline with high
RVP results in excessive evaporative hydrocarbon emissions, more
so during the warm summer months. Hydrocarbons are major
contributors in the formation of smog.

Earlier this year, in two separate incidents, petroleum product
suppliers and distributors Vitol and Shell Oil Products US each
self-disclosed violations of the state’s gasoline fuel
regulation. In each case, RVP values exceeded the regulated cap.
Vitol’s violation was the result of a miscommunication between
Vitol and the pipeline carrier, resulting in more than 930,000
gallons of the non-compliant fuel being piped from a tank in
Carson to other tanks. In the Shell Oil Products case,
non-compliant fuel was transported on a barge from Martinez in
Northern California to Mormon Island in the Los Angeles area. In
each case fuel was brought into compliance before being released
for sale into California.




California is in a drought emergency.
Visit www.SaveOurH2O.org for water conservation tips.

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