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| **[World Trade]{.smallcaps}**                    |                   |
|                                                  |                   |
| **[Organization]{.smallcaps}**                   |                   |
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|                                                  | **                |
|                                                  | G/TBT/N/USA/182** |
|                                                  |                   |
|                                                  | 31 March 2006     |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
|                                                  | (06-1518)         |
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|                                                  |                   |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+
| **Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade**     | Original: English |
+--------------------------------------------------+-------------------+

NOTIFICATION

The following notification is being circulated in accordance with
Article 10.6.

+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Member to Agreement     |   |                                 |
| 1. | notifying:** [UNITED      |   |                                 |
| ** | STATES]{.underline}       |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **If applicable, name of  |   |                                 |
|    | local government involved |   |                                 |
|    | (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):** |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Agency responsible:**   |   |                                 |
| 2. | Environmental Protection  |   |                                 |
| ** | Agency (EPA) (188)        |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Name and address        |   |                                 |
|    | (including telephone and  |   |                                 |
|    | fax numbers, e-mail and   |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available) of** **agency  |   |                                 |
|    | or authority designated   |   |                                 |
|    | to handle comments        |   |                                 |
|    | regarding the             |   |                                 |
|    | notification shall be     |   |                                 |
|    | indicated if different    |   |                                 |
|    | from above:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Notified under Article  |   |                                 |
| 3. | 2.9.2 \[** X **\], 2.10.1 |   |                                 |
| ** | \[ **  **\], 5.6.2        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], 5.7.1        |   |                                 |
|    | \[ **  **\], other:**     |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Products covered (HS or |   |                                 |
| 4. | CCCN where applicable,    |   |                                 |
| ** | otherwise national tariff |   |                                 |
|    | heading.\                 |   |                                 |
|    | ICS numbers may be        |   |                                 |
|    | provided in addition,     |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable):**      |   |                                 |
|    | Gasoline, passenger       |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles, and portable    |   |                                 |
|    | gasoline containers (HS:  |   |                                 |
|    | Chapter 2710, 8703 )      |   |                                 |
|    | (ICS: 43, 75).            |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Title, number of pages  |   |                                 |
| 5. | and language(s) of the    |   |                                 |
| ** | notified document:**      |   |                                 |
|    | Control of Hazardous Air  |   |                                 |
|    | Pollutants From Mobile    |   |                                 |
|    | Sources (140 pages,       |   |                                 |
|    | English).                 |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Description of          |   |                                 |
| 6. | content:** Today EPA is   |   |                                 |
| ** | proposing controls on     |   |                                 |
|    | gasoline, passenger       |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles, and portable    |   |                                 |
|    | gasoline containers (gas  |   |                                 |
|    | cans) that would          |   |                                 |
|    | significantly reduce      |   |                                 |
|    | emissions of benzene and  |   |                                 |
|    | other hazardous air       |   |                                 |
|    | pollutants (\"mobile      |   |                                 |
|    | source air toxics\").     |   |                                 |
|    | Benzene is a known human  |   |                                 |
|    | carcinogen, and mobile    |   |                                 |
|    | sources are responsible   |   |                                 |
|    | for the majority of       |   |                                 |
|    | benzene emissions. The    |   |                                 |
|    | other mobile source air   |   |                                 |
|    | toxics are known or       |   |                                 |
|    | suspected to cause cancer |   |                                 |
|    | or other serious health   |   |                                 |
|    | effects. We are proposing |   |                                 |
|    | to limit the benzene      |   |                                 |
|    | content of gasoline to an |   |                                 |
|    | annual average of 0.62%   |   |                                 |
|    | by volume, beginning in   |   |                                 |
|    | 2011. We are also         |   |                                 |
|    | proposing to limit        |   |                                 |
|    | exhaust emissions of      |   |                                 |
|    | hydrocarbons from         |   |                                 |
|    | passenger vehicles when   |   |                                 |
|    | they are operated at cold |   |                                 |
|    | temperatures. This        |   |                                 |
|    | standard would be phased  |   |                                 |
|    | in from 2010 to 2015. For |   |                                 |
|    | passenger vehicles we     |   |                                 |
|    | also propose evaporative  |   |                                 |
|    | emissions standards that  |   |                                 |
|    | are equivalent to those   |   |                                 |
|    | in California. Finally,   |   |                                 |
|    | we are proposing a        |   |                                 |
|    | hydrocarbon emissions     |   |                                 |
|    | standard for gas cans     |   |                                 |
|    | beginning in 2009, which  |   |                                 |
|    | would reduce evaporation  |   |                                 |
|    | and spillage of gasoline  |   |                                 |
|    | from these containers.    |   |                                 |
|    | These controls would      |   |                                 |
|    | significantly reduce      |   |                                 |
|    | emissions of benzene and  |   |                                 |
|    | other mobile source air   |   |                                 |
|    | toxics such as            |   |                                 |
|    | 1,3-butadiene,            |   |                                 |
|    | formaldehyde,             |   |                                 |
|    | acetaldehyde, acrolein,   |   |                                 |
|    | and naphthalene. This     |   |                                 |
|    | proposal would result in  |   |                                 |
|    | additional substantial    |   |                                 |
|    | benefits to public health |   |                                 |
|    | and welfare by            |   |                                 |
|    | significantly reducing    |   |                                 |
|    | emissions of particulate  |   |                                 |
|    | matter from passenger     |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles.                 |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | We project annual         |   |                                 |
|    | nationwide benzene        |   |                                 |
|    | reductions of 35,000 tons |   |                                 |
|    | in 2015, increasing to    |   |                                 |
|    | 65,000 tons by 2030.      |   |                                 |
|    | Total reductions in       |   |                                 |
|    | mobile source air toxics  |   |                                 |
|    | would be 147,000 tons in  |   |                                 |
|    | 2015 and over 350,000     |   |                                 |
|    | tons in 2030. Passenger   |   |                                 |
|    | vehicles in 2030 would    |   |                                 |
|    | emit 45% less benzene.    |   |                                 |
|    | Gas cans meeting the new  |   |                                 |
|    | standards would emit      |   |                                 |
|    | almost 80% less benzene.  |   |                                 |
|    | Gasoline would have 37%   |   |                                 |
|    | less benzene overall. We  |   |                                 |
|    | estimate that these       |   |                                 |
|    | reductions would have an  |   |                                 |
|    | average cost of less than |   |                                 |
|    | 1 cent per gallon of      |   |                                 |
|    | gasoline and less than    |   |                                 |
|    | \$1 per vehicle. The      |   |                                 |
|    | average cost for gas cans |   |                                 |
|    | would be less than \$2    |   |                                 |
|    | per can. The reduced      |   |                                 |
|    | evaporation from gas cans |   |                                 |
|    | would result in           |   |                                 |
|    | significant fuel savings, |   |                                 |
|    | which would more than     |   |                                 |
|    | offset the increased cost |   |                                 |
|    | for the gas can.          |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Objective and           |   |                                 |
| 7. | rationale, including the  |   |                                 |
| ** | nature of urgent problems |   |                                 |
|    | where applicable:**       |   |                                 |
|    | Protection of human       |   |                                 |
|    | health                    |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Relevant documents:**   |   |                                 |
| 8. | 71 Federal Register (FR)  |   |                                 |
| ** | 15803, 29 March 2006;     |   |                                 |
|    | Title 40 Code of Federal  |   |                                 |
|    | Regulations (CFR) Parts   |   |                                 |
|    | 59, 80, 85 and 86. Will   |   |                                 |
|    | appear in the Federal     |   |                                 |
|    | Register when adopted.    |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| ** | **Proposed date of        | } | To be determined                |
| 9. | adoption:**               |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
|    | **Proposed date of entry  |   |                                 |
|    | into force:**             |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Final date for          |   |                                 |
| *1 | comments:** 30 May 2006   |   |                                 |
| 0. |                           |   |                                 |
| ** |                           |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+
| *  | **Texts available from:   |   |                                 |
| *1 | National enquiry point    |   |                                 |
| 1. | \[** X **\] or address,   |   |                                 |
| ** | telephone and fax         |   |                                 |
|    | numbers, e-mail and       |   |                                 |
|    | web-site addresses, if    |   |                                 |
|    | available of the other    |   |                                 |
|    | body:**                   |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | Full Texts are Now        |   |                                 |
|    | Available on the Internet |   |                                 |
|    | at URLs:                  |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | http://a257.g.akam        |   |                                 |
|    | aitech.net/7/257/2422/01j |   |                                 |
|    | an20061800/edocket.access |   |                                 |
|    | .gpo.gov/2006/06-2315.htm |   |                                 |
|    |                           |   |                                 |
|    | http://a257.g.akamaite    |   |                                 |
|    | ch.net/7/257/2422/01jan20 |   |                                 |
|    | 061800/edocket.access.gpo |   |                                 |
|    | .gov/2006/pdf/06-2315.pdf |   |                                 |
+----+---------------------------+---+---------------------------------+