Extension of the Reformulated Gasoline Program to the St. Louis, Missouri, Moderate Ozone Non-attainment Area
Rule Summary
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to establish standards for RFG to be used in specified ozone nonattainment areas. Ozone nonattainment areas classified as marginal, moderate, serious or severe, may also be included in the RFG program if requested by the state’s Governor. EPA is required to establish an implementation date for the area to be included in the program within a year of the governor’s request.
St. Louis, Missouri is currently classified as a moderate ozone nonattainment area. The St. Louis area continues to exceed the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ozone and faces the possibility of being “bumped up” to a serious classification. In order to address these concerns and identify the best possible options for addressing the area’s air quality problems, the state consulted both industry and environmental representatives. The state identified several options and ultimately decided to support the use of federal RFG gasoline.
On July 13, 1998, EPA received a letter from Governor Carnahan of Missouri officially requesting that the St. Louis area be included in the federal reformulated gasoline program.