STATE

OF MAINE •
DEPARTMENT

OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION PAUL

R

. LEPAGE GOVERNOR

March

10, 2014 Mr. Curtis Spalding, Regional Administrator EPA, New England, Region

1 5 Post Office Square

- Suite

1 00 Boston,

MA 02109-3912 (Sent

by US Postal Service

and electronic

mail) Sub: Request

to delay implementation

of federal reformulated
gasoline Dear

Mr. Spalding:

PATRICIA

W

. AHO COMMISS

I ONER In 2013, Maine enacted

PI 2013

c. 221 establishing

the use

of federal reformulated
gasoline
(RFG)

in York, Cumberland, Sagadahoc, Androscoggin, Kennebec,

Knox and Lincoln counties beginning

May

1, 2014. Pursuant

to section

211 (k)(6)(B)

of the Clean

Air Act the State

of Maine formally requested that the

U .S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) extend

the requirement

for the sale

of federal

RFG

to these counties beginning

on May

l, 2014; EPA's action

on this request

is still pending

. Recently

the Department
learned

of supply
and logist

ics complications surrounding

a 2014 implementation

date and our staffs have discussed

these new developments

and our desire

to postpone

the implementation

until June

1, 2015. Maine

has just enacted

an emergency

law,

PI 20 13 c. 453, effective March 6, 2014 which postpones

the implementation

until June

l, 2015.

A copy

of the new law

is attached

to this letter.

I am asking
that Maine

's req uest
for the implementation

date

for the sale

of federal

RFG
be modified

to coincide

with June

1, 2015. Complimentary

to the federal process,

we are amending

ou

r state rules, Chapter

119 Motor Vehicle

Fu el Volatility

Limit

to implement

the above requirements

and submit

it as

a state implementation

plan revision. AUGUSTA 17 STATE HOUSE STATION AUGUSTA,
MAINE 04333

- 0017 (207)
287

- 7688 FAX

: (207)
287

- 7826 wob

S

i t<: www.maino

. gov/dop

BANGOR 106 HOGAN ROAD, SUITE

6 BANGOR, MAINE

0440

1 {207}

94

1 - 4 570 FAX

: {207)

941

- 4584 PORTLAND 312 CANCO ROAD PORTLAND

, MA

I NE 04103 (207) 822-6300

FAX: (207)

822

- 6303 PRESQUE

ISLE 1235 CENTRAL
DRIVE

, SKYWAY

PARK PRESQUE

IS L E

, MAINE 04769 (207) 764-0477

FAX: (207) 760

- 3143Letter

to Curtis Spalding March

10, 2014 Page

2 of

2 Thank
you
for your attention

to this matter

. If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact
Marc Cone, Director, Bureau

of Air Quality

of the Maine Department

of Environmental Protection

at 207 287-1932

. Sincerely, Commissioner Attachment cc: David Conroy,

Air Quality Programs Manager

(by email only) Marc Cone

P.E

. , Director, Bureau

of Air Quality

(by email only)APPROVEDCHAPTERMARCH6,2014453BYGOVERNORPUBLICLAWSTATEOFMAINEINTHEYEAROFOURLORDTWOTHOUSANDANDFOURTEENS.P.718-L.D.1796AnActToDelayImplementationofReformnlatedGasolineRequirementsinMaineEmergencypreamble.Whereas,actsandresolvesoftheLegislaturedonotbecomeeffectiveuntil90daysafteradjourmnentunlessenactedasemergencies;andWhereas,currentlawrequiresthesaleofreformulatedgasolinein7southerncountiesintheStatebeginningonMayI,2014;andWhereas,duetorecentdevelopmentsinthegasolinesupplynetwork, gasolinedistributorsintheStateareunabletomeetthisrequirementwithoutsignificantexpense,whichcouldimpactpricingacrosstheState;andWhereas,inordertomeetfederalCleanAirActrequirements,fromMay1sttoSeptember15th,retailerswhosellgasolinein7southerncountiesintheStatemaysellonlygasolinethathasaReidvaporpressurenogreaterthan7.8psi;andWhereas,beforetheStatecanrequirethe7countiestosellonlyreformulatedgasolineduringthesummermonths,theDepartmentofEnviromnentalProtectionmustsubmitarequesttotheUnitedStatesEnviromnentalProtectionAgency;andWhereas,sufficientleadtimeisnecessaryforsubmissionoftheState'srequestbytheDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtectionandreviewoftheState'srequestbytheUnitedStatesEnviromnentalProtectionAgencypriortothe2015summerseason;andWhereas,inthejudgmentoftheLegislature,thesefactscreateanemergencywithinthemeaningoftheConstitutionofMaineandrequirethefollowinglegislationasimmediatelynecessaryforthepreservationofthepublicpeace,healthandsafety;now,therefore,BeitenactedbythePeopleoftheStateofMaineasfollows:Sec.1.38MRSA§585-N,asenactedbyPL2013,c.221,§2,isamendedtoread:Page1-126LR2803(02)-1§585-N.ReformulatedgasolineBeginningMayI,2014June12015,aretailerwhosellsgasolineinYork,Cumberland,Sagadahoc,Androscoggin,Kennebec,KnoxorLincolnCountymaysellonlyreformulatedgasolineinthosecounties.Sec.2.Report.TheDepartmentofEnviromnentalProtectionshallstudythefeasibilityofeasingthemultiplegasolinerequirementsinthisStateandachievingtheuseofasingletypeofgasolineforalloftheState.TheDepartmentofEnviromnentalProtectionshallsubmitareportandimplementinglegislationdirectingtheStatetouseasingletypeofgasolinetothejointstandingcommitteeoftheLegislaturehavingjurisdictionoverenvironmentandnaturalresourcesmattersbyJanuary30,2015.Thejointstandingcommitteemayreportoutabillonthesubjectmatterofthedepartment'sreporttotheFirstRegularSessionoftheI27thLegislature.Emergencyclause.Inviewoftheemergencycitedinthepreamble,thislegislationtakeseffectwhenapproved.Page2-126LR2803(02)-1