EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES ACT, 1972 (ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS FOR PETROL, DIESEL FUELS AND GAS OILS FOR USE BY NON-ROAD MOBILE MACHINERY, INCLUDING INLAND WATERWAY VESSELS, AGRICULTURAL AND FORESTRY TRACTORS, AND RECREATIONAL CRAFT) REGULATIONS 2011.
Source: Iris Oifigiúl 27 2011-04-05

num: 1
paragraphs: These Regulations may be cited as the European Communities Act, 1972 (Environmental Specifications for Petrol, Diesel Fuels and Gas Oils for use by non-road mobile machinery, including inland waterway vessels, agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft) Regulations 2011.
num: 2
paragraphs: These Regulations shall come into effect on 31 March 2011.
num: 3
paragraphs: (1) In these Regulations—
(2) In these Regulations—
(a) any reference to an Annex which is not otherwise identified is a reference to an Annex to Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended, including any footnotes or other requirements specified therein, and, for the avoidance of doubt, includes amendments to the Annexes adopted in accordance with the procedures specified in Article 10 of Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended; and
(b) a letter, word, phrase or symbol which has been assigned a meaning by Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended, or is used in Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended, has that meaning where the context requires except where otherwise indicated.
num: 4
paragraphs: These Regulations set the technical specifications on health and environmental grounds for fuels to be used with positive ignition and compression-ignition engines in respect of road vehicles, and compression-ignition engines in respect of non-road mobile machinery, inland waterway vessels when not at sea, agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft when not at sea, taking account of the technical requirements of those engines.
num: 5
paragraphs: A person shall not be prohibited, restricted or prevented from placing on the market in the State petrol, diesel fuels or gas oils which comply with the requirements of these Regulations.
num: 6
paragraphs: (1) An authorised person may take, at any place in the State, a sample of petrol, diesel fuels or gas oils for the purposes of these Regulations.
(2) The authorised person taking a sample shall—
(a) notify forthwith an appropriate person that a sample is so taken;
(b) if so required by the appropriate person at the time of the giving of the notification, divide the sample into two parts, seal and mark each part and leave one part with the appropriate person.
(3) In this Regulation “appropriate person” means the owner of, or any person who appears for the time being in charge of, the premises at which the sample is taken.
num: 7
paragraphs: A person shall not market petrol in the State unless it complies with the environmental specifications set out in Annex I to Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended.
num: 8
paragraphs: Notwithstanding Regulation 7, suppliers of petrol in the State shall ensure that petrol with a maximum oxygen content of 2.7% and a maximum ethanol content of 5% will be placed on the market on a balanced geographical basis reflecting the demand for such petrol until 1 January, 2013. The labelling of petrol should be consistent with the relevant standard drawn up by the European Committee for Standardisation.
num: 9
paragraphs: Persons or companies distributing petrol in the State shall ensure the provision of appropriate information to consumers concerning the biofuel content of petrol and, in particular, on the appropriate use of different blends of petrol.
num: 10
paragraphs: A person shall not market diesel fuel in the State unless it complies with the environmental specifications set out in Annex II to Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended.
num: 11
paragraphs: Persons or companies distributing diesel fuels in the State shall ensure the provision of appropriate information to consumers concerning the biofuel, in particular the fatty acid methyl ester, content of diesel fuels.
num: 12
paragraphs: (1) A person shall not market in the State gas oils intended for use by non-road mobile machinery (including inland waterway vessels), agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft, the sulphur content of which exceeds 10 mg/kg.
(2) Notwithstanding Regulation 12(1), gas oils intended for use by non-road mobile machinery (including inland waterway vessels), agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft are permitted to have a sulphur content of up to a maximum of 20 mg/kg at the final point of distribution to end users to accommodate minor contamination in the supply chain.
(3) Liquid fuels other than gas oils compliant with this Regulation may only be used in inland waterway vessels and recreational craft if the sulphur content of those liquid fuels does not exceed the gas oils specifications set out in Regulation 12(2).
(4) This Regulation does not apply to inland waterway vessels when at sea or recreational craft when at sea.
(5) Persons or companies distributing gas oils in the State shall ensure the provision of appropriate information to consumers concerning the biofuel content, if any, of gas oils intended for use by non-road mobile machinery (including inland waterway vessels), agricultural and forestry tractors, and recreational craft.
num: 13
paragraphs: (1) A person shall not market fuel the methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) content of which exceeds 6 mg per litre of manganese.
(2) On or after 1 January 2014 a person shall not market fuel the methylcyclopentadienyl manganese tricarbonyl (MMT) content of which exceeds 2 mg per litre of manganese.
(3) A label which designates the metallic content of fuel shall be displayed at any point where fuel containing metallic additives is made available to consumers.
(4) The label shall—
(a) contain the following text “Contains metallic additives”;
(b) be attached to the place where information indicating the type of fuel is displayed, in a clearly visible position;
(c) be in letters at least 2 centimetres high and in a form which is clearly visible and easily legible.
num: 14
paragraphs: (1) The measurement methods to be applied in relation to the environmental specifications for petrol shall be those analytical methods specified in Annex I to Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended.
(2) The measurement methods to be applied in relation to the environmental specifications for diesel fuels shall be those analytical methods specified in Annex II to Directive 98/70/EC2 as amended.
(3) The reference method for determining the sulphur content of gas oil shall be that defined by EN method 24260 (1987), ISO 8754 (1992) and prEN ISO 14596.
(4) The reference method for determining the manganese content of fuel shall be prEN16135 and prEN16136.
num: 15
paragraphs: (1) Any person who contravenes any provision of these Regulations shall be guilty of an offence.
num: 16
paragraphs: (1) Where an offence under these Regulations has been committed by a body corporate and is proved to have been committed with the consent or connivance of or to be attributable to any neglect on the part of a person being a director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate, or a person who was purporting to act in any such capacity, that person as well as the body corporate shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished as if he or she were guilty of the first-mentioned offence.
(2) Where the affairs of a body corporate are managed by its members, paragraph (1) shall apply in relation to the acts and defaults of a member in connection with his or her functions of management as if he or she were a director of the body corporate.
num: 17
paragraphs: A prosecution for a summary offence under these Regulations may be taken by an authorised person.
num: 18
paragraphs: A person guilty of an offence under these Regulations is liable on summary conviction to a Class A fine or imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or both.
num: 19
paragraphs: The following are revoked:
(a) the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Environmental Specifications for Petrol and Diesel Fuels) Regulations 1999, ( S.I. No. 407 of 1999 );
(b) the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Environmental Specifications for Petrol and Diesel Fuels) Regulations 2003 ( S.I. No. 541 of 2003 ); and
(c) the Air Pollution Act 1987 (Environmental Specifications for Petrol and Diesel Fuels) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 ( S.I. No. 202 of 2004 ).