WASHINGTON — In response to a request on May 28th from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael S. Regan issued an emergency fuel waiver to help alleviate fuel shortages in 34 Texas counties whose supply of low volatility gasoline has been impacted by a crude unit failure at the Delek Refinery in Tyler, Texas.
As a result of the crude unit failure, Administrator Regan determined that extreme and unusual fuel supply circumstances exist and has granted a temporary waiver of specific fuel volatility requirements to help ensure that an adequate supply of gasoline is available in the affected areas until normal supply to the region can be restored. The waiver is effective immediately and will terminate on June 6, 2022.
The Clean Air Act allows EPA Administrator Regan, in consultation with the Department of Energy, to waive certain fuel requirements to address shortages under emergency conditions.
As required by law, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) evaluated the situation and determined that granting a short-term waiver was consistent with the public interest.
To mitigate any impacts on air quality, the Clean Air Act provides strict criteria for when fuel waivers may be granted and requires that waivers be limited as much as possible in terms of their geographic scope and duration.
More information: www.epa.gov/enforcement/fuel-waivers.