EPA, API mark ULSD's arrival at retailers

Oct. 11, 2006
The US Environmental Protection Agency marked the arrival of ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel at retail outlets with a ceremony at the Columbus, Ind., headquarters of diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. on Oct. 10.

Nick Snow
Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON, DC, Oct. 11 -- The US Environmental Protection Agency marked the arrival of ultralow-sulfur diesel fuel at retail outlets with a ceremony at the Columbus, Ind., headquarters of diesel engine manufacturer Cummins Inc. on Oct. 10.

"America's pumps are primed to deliver on President [George W.] Bush's goal of clean diesel and cleaner air," EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson said. "Over the last century, diesels have been our nation's economic workhorse—reliable, fuel efficient, and long lasting. Today, through the president's investment in clean fuel technology, America's economic workhorse is also becoming America's environmental workhorse."

US refiners began to produce diesel fuel for highway use with a 15 ppm sulfur content on June 1, down from 500 ppm previously, under EPA orders. The federal agency said that the lower sulfur fuel will be used by more than 90% of the nation's trucks and buses. It estimates that this will cut nitrogen oxide emissions by 2.6 million tons/year and particular matter emissions by 110,000 tons/year.

"Thanks to the hard work and investment of more than $8 billion by the refining industry, we are now producing the cleanest diesel fuel in the world," noted American Petroleum Institute Pres. Red Cavaney, who joined Johnson and others at the ceremony.

He noted that while the change is arguably the most complex and cost transition ever experienced in US motor fuels history, its implementation has been smooth so far with no significant problems concerning supplies or vehicle performance.

"In no small part, this has been aided by EPA's willingness to work with the industry to identify and fix potential problems early on—before they had a chance to impact the market and consumers," Cavaney said.

Most retailers will complete the transition to ULSD by Oct. 15, he added. Only ULSD will be allowed for highway and virtually all off-road vehicles by 2010, and for nonroad, locomotive, and marine diesel engines by 2014.

Refiners have expressed concern that distribution of ULSD through pipelines and terminals that also handle products with more sulfur could lead to compliance problems if traces of the higher-sulfur fuels are mixed accidentally with the ULSD. They have said that they will watch the situation closely.

Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].