A new gasoline being introduced this summer in Tulsa is expected to help curb ozone, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and local officials said Wednesday. The new fuel will cost more at the pump. Suppliers said they do not know how much prices could rise, but said national supply and demand will dictate fuel prices overall. Ozone is a key ingredient in smog.
High levels can cause respiratory problems in children, the elderly and asthmatics.
Tulsa and Oklahoma City have struggled to hold ground-level ozone levels in check during stifling summer afternoons. Tulsa has three straight years of ozone standard violations. From June 1 to Sept. 15, Tulsa retailers will sell gasoline with a Reid vapor pressure, or RVP, of 7.8. The city's gasoline has typically had an RVP of 8. The reduction is designed to curb emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds from cars and lawn equipment that use gasoline.