CT gasoline switches to more expensive blend
U.S. Energy Information Administration
This map shows the areas of the country that must use special blends of gasoline in the summer to reduce smog.
The oil refineries serving Connecticut and other heavy populated areas have switched to the more expensive summer blend of gasoline meant to reduce smog, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires urban areas with a lot of vehicle traffic to use a less polluting blend of gasoline, including the East Coast from Virginia to New Hampshire, California, and other metropolitan areas in the Midwest and along the Gulf Coast.
Refineries are required to send the summer blend to these areas from May 1 to Sept. 15.
The summer blend varies by geographic region, but the Connecticut blend called reformulated gasoline has strict limits on volatility to reduce the vapor emitted when the fuel is used. That vapor mixes with sunlight and heat to create a pollutant called ozone, which is better known as smog.
The gasoline is more expensive because more process is involved in the refinery process to reduce the vapor.
Gasoline stations are required to start selling the blend on June 1, although many make the switch as the refineries send the fuel.
The summer blend cost increase hadn't shown up in Greater Hartford gasoline pricing on Wednesday, as the average price of regular unleaded dropped 0.9 cents to $3.679 per gallon, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report.
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments