For 30 years, drivers in Jefferson County and parts of Bullitt and Oldham counties have been required to buy reformulated gasoline. This was part of a federal program aimed at reducing ozone pollution in the region. Now, state and local officials say enough progress has been made to consider opting out of this rule.
Federal data from early June show that reformulated gas costs about 34 cents more per gallon than conventional gas in the Midwest. However, Byron Gary from the Kentucky Resources Council said it is hard to pinpoint exactly why prices differ. He explained that reformulated gas is mainly sold in cities, where prices tend to be higher for various reasons.
Officials are currently gathering public comments on whether Louisville should drop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s reformulated gas restrictions. People can submit their views to the Louisville Metro Air Pollution Control District by July 2, or to the Kentucky Division for Air Quality by July 6.
Reformulated gas burns cleaner and produces less ozone pollution than conventional gas. That is why Kentucky agreed to this requirement in the 1990s for the Louisville area. The program helped reduce pollution, but conditions have changed since then.
A draft proposal from the Air Pollution Control District and the state Division for Air Quality says ending the reformulated gas rule now will not stop the region from meeting federal ozone limits. This is despite Louisville’s history of exceeding those standards.
Two main reasons support dropping the reformulated gas rule:
- Federal standards have improved conventional gas, making it much cleaner and closer to reformulated gas in reducing ozone pollution.
- Any slight increase in emissions from stopping reformulated gas sales will be offset by Louisville Gas and Electric’s recent closure of a coal-fired power unit at its Mill Creek plant and plans to retire another unit.
Gary, who previously worked for the Air Pollution Control District, said the government’s case makes sense. He acknowledged that reformulated gas still has benefits, but those benefits have lessened over time.
“If we were starting fresh on how to reduce ozone pollution, reformulated gas would not be the first option I would suggest keeping or introducing,” Gary said.