Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Cleaner gasoline arrives at area pumps - for a price Date: Sat, 31 Oct 92 14:00:15 EST Message-ID: \SE A;METROPOLITAN \HD Cleaner gasoline arrives at area pumps - for a price \BY Janet Naylor \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Starting tomorrow, Washington-area drivers will pay more to breathe easier during the winter months. That's when gasoline stations in Washington and 38 other metropolitan areas will begin selling reformulated gasoline designed to cut carbon monoxide emissions that contribute to urban smog. Carbon monoxide is best known to motorists as the exhaust fume that, if inhaled in high enough concentrations, causes dizziness, headaches and even death. But it is also one of the chief causes of smog. At low levels, it can irritate the eyes and lungs and can cause serious problems for the young, the elderly and people with respiratory conditions. The federal Clean Air Act of 1990 requires, among many other things, that service stations sell oxygenated, or "clean," gasoline to cut carbon monoxide emissions. The new fuel requirement is the first of a series of changes motorists will see as a result of the legislation. "We expect the environmental benefits will be significant and immediate," said William Rosenberg, an assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. The clean gas will be sold at stations in the metropolitan area, which includes the District, Alexandria, Falls Church, Fairfax City, Manassas and Manassas Park, and Arlington, Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William, Stafford, Montgomery, Prince George's, Calvert, Charles and Frederick counties. The gas will be on sale during the winter months, when carbon monoxide levels are highest because cars take longer to warm up. Oxygenated gasoline relies on chemical additives - such as methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE - to create a leaner mixture of air and fuel in the engine that burns more completely. But cleaner air will come at a price - around 7 cents a gallon, according to government and industry estimates. The increase is due in part to higher production costs passed on to consumers. "We have a cost [to add the MTBE] and we would like to recover some of that cost," said Don Turk, a spokesman for Mobil Oil Corp. "Whether the marketplace will allow us to continue to recover that cost remains to be seen." Motorists may have already seen prices rise, because most stations have begun phasing in the new fuel. "I think they're just trying to put one over on us," said Robert Krebs, spokesman for the AAA Potomac region. "It's awful. They're telling us, 'Feel good [about the price increase], you're cleaning the air.' I think that's hogwash." While consumers might notice slightly lower gas mileage and a strong odor from the MBTE, experts say the new formula won't affect a vehicle's performance. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM