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Motor Vehicle Fuel Programs in Texas

Information and links to Regional low RVP gasoline, Texas Low-Emission Diesel (TxLED), and El Paso fuel programs.



The SIP files on this page are hosted by the Texas Records and Information Locator (TRAIL) web archive . If you need assistance with a file, please contact siprules@tceq.texas.gov.

The Regional Low Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) Gasoline Program

Low RVP gasoline is fuel that is refined to have a lower evaporation rate and lower volatility than conventional gasoline. It also reduces the evaporative emissions generated during vehicle refueling and therefore decreases the emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other ozone-forming emissions.

Currently, the Regional Low RVP Gasoline program requires that low RVP gasoline be used in 95 central and eastern Texas counties during the summer months when ozone pollution is at its worst. The program, which began May 1, 2000, requires that all gasoline sold from retail gasoline-dispensing facilities within the affected counties have a Reid vapor pressure of no greater than 7.8 pounds per square inch (psi) from June 1 through October 1 of each year. Gasoline suppliers are required to supply low RVP gasoline to the affected counties from May 1 through October 1 of each year.

The following 95 counties are included in the Regional Low RVP Gasoline Program: Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Bowie, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Cooke, Coryell, De Witt, Delta, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Karnes, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rains, Red River, Refugio, Robertson, Rockwall, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Augustine, Shelby, Judge Smith, Somervell, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wise, and Wood Counties.

Information regarding the Regional Low RVP Gasoline program in the Texas State Implementation Plan (SIP).

Related Rules

Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (30 TAC) 114.301 114.309 — Gasoline Volatility

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El Paso's Two Fuel Programs

Two separate state fuel programs have been developed to help El Paso meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both ozone and carbon monoxide. The El Paso Oxygenated Fuel Program is designed to help reduce carbon monoxide emissions from the cold starts of motor vehicles during the winter months. The El Paso Low Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) Gasoline Program is designed to help reduce evaporative emissions that contribute to the formation of ozone during the hot summer months.

The El Paso Oxygenated Fuel Program

Oxygenated fuel is conventional gasoline "splash blended" with an oxygenate such as ethanol, methanol, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE), or tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) to achieve a minimum oxygen content of 2.7 percent oxygen by weight. Currently, ethanol is the primary oxygenate being used in El Paso's Oxygenated Fuels Program.

The El Paso Oxygenated Fuels Program, which began Oct. 1, 1992, requires that all gasoline in the area have a minimum oxygen content of 2.7 percent oxygen by weight from October 1 to March 31 of each year. The wintertime oxygenated fuel used in El Paso may have a maximum Reid vapor pressure (RVP) as high as 13.5 pounds per square inch (psi).

Related Rules

Title 30 Texas Administrative Code (30 TAC) 114.100 — Oxygenated Fuels

The El Paso Low Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) Gasoline Program

Currently, low RVP gasoline is used in El Paso County during the summer months when ozone pollution is at its worst. The El Paso Low RVP Program, which began May 1, 1996, requires that all gasoline in the area have Reid vapor pressure of no greater than 7.0 pounds per square inch absolute (psia) from May 1 through September 16 of each year. Gasoline-dispensing facilities are required to sell low RVP gasoline from June 1 through September 16 of each year.

Related Rules

30 TAC 115.252 115.259 — Control of Reid Vapor Pressure of Gasoline

For more information about El Paso's Oxygenated Fuel Program and Low RVP Gasoline Program, call 512-239-2988.

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Converting to Alternative Fuels — The Certification Process

Current information relating to the certification process and testing procedures required for converting a motor vehicle to use an alternative fuel is available on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Alternative Fuel Conversion Web page .

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Portable Fuel Container State Implementation (SIP) Revision

On February 26, 2007, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) adopted a federal portable fuel container (PFC) rule (72 Federal Register 8432) that set new national standards for gasoline, diesel, and kerosene PFCs. All PFCs manufactured on or after January 1, 2009, must comply with the 2007 federal standards.

History

Previous Texas PFC rules were not consistent with the new federal standards, as they were based on older PFC testing methods. On February 24, 2011, the EPA approved the Texas PFC Rule Repeal State Implementation Plan (SIP) revision . This SIP revision incorporated the proposed rule repeal and demonstrated that reliance on the federal PFC rules will have no negative impact on attainment of the 1997 eight-hour ozone standard in the State of Texas.

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