Regulatory Announcement

EPA Approves Request from Tennessee 

to Relax the Federal Summer Gasoline 

Volatility Standard in Shelby County 

(Memphis), Tennessee 

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

final rule to relax the federal Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standard applicable to gasoline sold in Shelby County, Tennessee (the 

Memphis Area). This action amends EPA’s regulation to relax the 

RVP standard from 7.8 pounds per square inch (psi) to 9.0 psi for 

gasoline sold during the summer ozone season. 

EPA is acting on a request made by the State of Tennessee to relax the 

RVP standard applicable to gasoline introduced into commerce during 

the summer fuel season, as described further below. On August 17, 

2017, EPA published a notice of proposed rulemaking for today’s final 

rule, and no comments were received. EPA is finalizing the RVP relaxation rulemaking as proposed. 

Key Elements of the Final Rule 

•	 This rulemaking relaxes the volatility requirements for gasoline sold in 

Shelby County, during the summer ozone season which runs from June 1 to 

September 15 of each year. Specifically, this final rule amends the federal RVP 

gasoline standard for Shelby County from 7.8 psi to 9.0 psi provided at 40 

CFR 80.27(a)(2). 

•	 In order to relax the applicable federal RVP standard in an area where the 

more stringent federal RVP of 7.8 psi is required, an area must be designated 

as (or redesignated to) attainment. In cases like Shelby County, the area must 

also submit a maintenance plan demonstrating continued attainment of the 

ozone national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) with the less stringent 

RVP standard in place. 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

EPA-420-F-17-016 

December 2017 
Regulatory Announcement

•	 Tennessee previously requested that Shelby County be redesignated to attainment for 

the 2008 ozone NAAQS. In that request, Tennessee took a conservative approach for 

the maintenance plan demonstration by modeling 9.0 psi for the RVP requirements as 

opposed to 7.8 psi. EPA Region 4 previously approved the redesignation request and 

maintenance plan for the portion of Tennessee that is within the Memphis, TennesseeMississippi-Arkansas (Memphis, TN-MS-AR) 2008 ozone nonattainment area on June 

23, 2016 (81 FR 40816). Tennessee did not, at that time, request the relaxation of the 

federal RVP requirements for Shelby County. 

•	 In April 2017, Tennessee requested a relaxation of the federal RVP requirements. This 

necessitated a demonstration that relaxing the federal RVP requirement would not interfere with maintenance of any NAAQS, including the 2008 and 2015 ozone NAAQS, 

or any other applicable Clean Air Act (CAA) requirement. Therefore, in a July 7, 2017 

rulemaking, EPA Region 4 approved Tennessee’s non-interference demonstration for its 

already approved maintenance plan for the 2008 ozone NAAQS (82 FR 31462). 

•	 Relaxing the volatility requirements for gasoline sold in the Memphis Area could be 

beneficial because this action could improve the fungibility of gasoline in the area. Once 

this rule becomes effective, the summertime gasoline sold in the Memphis Area can be 

identical to the fuel sold in the rest of Tennessee. For motorists, the change in summertime gasoline volatility specifications should be virtually unnoticed. 

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. 

The most common measure of fuel volatility is RVP. To provide for cleaner air and greater public 

health protection, EPA enforces maximum limits on the RVP of gasoline sold during the summer 

ozone season. Specifically, EPA’s regulations at 40 CFR 80.27(a)(2) establish maximum RVP 

standards of 9.0 psi or 7.8 psi depending on the state, the month, and the area’s initial designation with respect to the ozone NAAQS. 

For More Information 

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

Air Quality Web site at: 

www.epa.gov/gasoline-standards/relaxation-summer-gasoline-volatility-standardshelby-county-memphis-tennessee 

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Regulatory Announcement

For further information on this final rule, please contact: 

David Dickinson 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20460 

202-343-9256 

E-mail: dickinson.david@epa.gov 

Or 

Rudy Kapichak 

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 

Office of Transportation and Air Quality 

2000 Traverwood Drive 

Ann Arbor, MI 48105 

734-214-4574 

E-mail: kapichak.rudolph@epa.gov 

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