Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Board
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

General Notice
Emergency Waiver of Reid Vapor Pressure Requirements in Virginia
Date Posted: 9/13/2018
Expiration Date: 9/15/2018
Submitted to Registrar for publication: NO
No comment forum defined for this notice.

Emergency Waiver of Reid Vapor Pressure Requirements in Virginia

Effective date:            

September 12, 2018

Expiration date:

 

September 15, 2018, or until emergency relief is no longer necessary as determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services

 

Purpose:

The purpose of this order is to provide a waiver to the ASTM Reid Vapor Pressure specifications for ethanol blended gasoline due to an emergency situation as a result of Hurricane Florence.

 

Background:

On September 8, 2018, Governor Ralph S. Northam declared a state of emergency for the Commonwealth of Virginia to provide response and recovery support for Hurricane Florence.  In Executive Order 17, Governor Northam, pursuant to his authority under § 44-146.17 of the Code of Virginia, authorizes the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services to grant a temporary waiver of the maximum vapor pressure requirement prescribed in regulation 2 VAC 5-425 et seq., Vapor Pressure Requirements for Gasoline Ethanol Blends, and to prescribe a vapor pressure limit deemed reasonable.  Executive Order 17 provides that the temporary waiver shall remain in effect until September 15, 2018, or until emergency relief is no longer necessary as determined by the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

 

Definitions:

"Volatility class A" means fuel with a vapor pressure and distillation designation of "A" set forth in Table 1 Vapor Pressure and Distillation Class Requirements of ASTM D4814.

"Volatility class C" means fuel with a vapor pressure and distillation designation of "C" set forth in Table 1 Vapor Pressure and Distillation Class Requirements of ASTM D4814.

 

Required vapor pressure limits for September 12 - September 15, 2018:

Pursuant to the authority granted in Executive Order 17, the Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services waives the vapor pressure limit for gasoline ethanol blends prescribed by reference to ASTM D4814 in regulation 2 VAC 5-425 et seq., Vapor Pressure Requirements for Gasoline Ethanol Blends, for the period of September 12 through September 15, 2018. 

For the period of September 12 through September 15, 2018, when gasoline is blended with ethanol, the blend’s maximum vapor pressure shall not exceed the ASTM D4814 limits for volatility class C by more than 1.0 psi during this period. 

 

By Order of:

Jewel H. Bronaugh, Ph.D.

Commissioner, Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

 

A PDF of this Emergency Waiver is available on the Virginia Regulatory Town Hall using the link provided below.

http://townhall.virginia.gov/L/GetFile.cfm?File=GuidanceDocs\301\GDoc_VDACS_6032_v3.pdf


Contact Information
Name / Title: Joel Maddux  / Program Manager, Office of Weights and Measures
Address: P.O. Box 1163
Richmond, 23218
Email Address: Joel.Maddux@vdacs.virginia.gov
Telephone: (804)786-1274    FAX: ()-    TDD: ()-