Office of Transportation and Air Quality

EPA-420-F-14-013

March 2014

EPA Approves Requests from 

Florida and North Carolina to Relax 

the Summer Gasoline Volatility 

Standard for Florida and the RaleighDurham-Chapel Hill Area and the 

Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High 

Point Area in North Carolina

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a 

direct final rulemaking to relax the applicable RVP standard in 

Florida and in the Triangle and Triad Areas in North Carolina, during 

the summer season (June 1st to September 15th). 

Summary 

The EPA is approving a request from Florida to relax the federal Reid Vapor Pressure 

(RVP) standard applicable to gasoline introduced into commerce in the Miami, 

Tampa and Jacksonville areas. The EPA is also approving a similar request from 

North Carolina to relax the RVP standard in the Triangle and Triad Areas. These 

changes apply during the summer high ozone season - June 1st to September 15th. 

This action amends our regulations to change the summertime RVP standard for 

these areas from 7.8 pounds per square inch (psi) to 9.0 psi. The EPA has determined 

that this change to our federal RVP regulations is consistent with the applicable 

provisions of the Clean Air Act. The requests from Florida and North Carolina demonstrate that all of these areas can implement the 9.0 psi RVP standard and maintain 

the 8-hour ozone NAAQS. 

Key Elements 

•	 This rule relaxes the volatility requirements for gasoline in three areas in 

Florida and two areas in North Carolina as described above, during the 

summer (June 1st to September 15th). It is beneficial to these areas because 

Regulatory Announcement

the action will improve the fungibility of gasoline in these areas. In other 
Regulatory Announcement

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words when this rule becomes effective the gasoline sold in these areas will be identical 

to the fuel sold now in the rest of Florida and in most of North Carolina. For motorists 

the change in summertime gasoline volatility specifications will be virtually unnoticeable.

•	 All of these areas have attained the health-based ozone NAAQS. This rule was dependent 

upon the approval of revisions of maintenance plans and a demonstration that each area 

would maintain the ozone NAAQS using gasoline that meets the less stringent requirement. Florida submitted the revised maintenance plans and maintenance demonstrations 

in August 2013 and North Carolina made its submissions in March 2013 for the Triangle 

Area and in April 2013 for the Triad Area. Region 4 approved Florida’s submission in 

January 2014 (79 FR 573). The Region approved North Carolina’s submissions for the 

Triangle and Triangle Areas in January 2014 (79 FR 47 and 79 FR 4082, respectively). 

Background 

In 1987, EPA determined that gasoline nationwide had become increasingly volatile, causing an 

increase in evaporative emissions from gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment. Evaporative 

emissions from gasoline, referred to as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), are precursors to 

the formation of tropospheric ozone and contribute to the nation’s ground-level ozone problem. 

Ground-level ozone causes health problems, including damaged lung tissue, reduced lung 

function, and lung sensitization to other pollutants. 

To provide for cleaner air and greater public health protection, EPA enforces maximum limits 

for the RVP (the most common measure of fuel volatility) of gasoline sold during the summer 

ozone control season - June 1st to September 15th. EPA’s current regulations establish maximum 

RVP standards of 9.0 psi or 7.8 psi (depending on the State, the month, and the area’s initial 

ozone attainment designation with respect to the 1-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality 

Standard or “NAAQS”) during the ozone control season. 

In order to relax the applicable RVP standard in an area where the more stringent RVP level is 

required, an area must be designated as (or redesignated to) attainment and submit a maintenance plan demonstrating continued attainment of the ozone NAAQS with the less stringent 

RVP standard in place. All of these areas are designated as attainment areas for the 2008 ozone 

NAAQS as well as the earlier 1997 8-hour ozone NAAQS and the 1-hour ozone NAAQS. As 

described above all of these areas have demonstrated that they will continue to attain the ozone 

NAAQS after the summertime RVP limit has been relaxed. 

Public Participation Opportunities 

This rule is being released as a Direct Final Rule because we view it as a non-controversial action 

and anticipate no adverse comment. However, comments can be submitted under a parallel 

Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. For instructions on submitting written comments, please see 

the Federal Register notice, which is available from the Web site below or from the EPA Air and 

Radiation Docket (202-566-1742; please refer to Docket No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2013-0787). 
Regulatory Announcement

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For More Information 

You can access the rule and related documents on EPA’s Office of Transportation and Air 

Quality (OTAQ) Web site at: 

www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/gasolinefuels/volatility/regulations.htm. 

For further information on this Direct Final Rule, please contact:

Rudy Kapichak

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Transportation and Air Quality

2000 Traverwood Drive

Ann Arbor, MI 48105

Phone: 734-214-4574

Fax: 734-214-4052

Email: kapichak.rudolph@epa.gov