Healthy Air Oregon Campaign Status

Oregon Toxics Alliance’s long running benzene reduction campaign has proved to be a succcess! As of July 1, 2009, Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) has adopted new air quality regulations, and - due in large part to OTA’s persistence - they have gone further to reduce benzene than federal rules. In a nutshell, the DEQ took recommendations by OTA to make the following changes to the state’s rules:

• End the practice of “topping off” at all gas stations.
• Require most gas stations to recapture gas fumes during tank refueling.

Significantly, this is the first time that a Do Not Top Off rule will be implemented statewide. The DEQ’s new rule contains a provision forbidding topping off at virtually all gasoline facilities in Oregon. Furthermore, Stage I vapor recovery will be implemented at gasoline facilities whose monthly throughput of gasoline is greater than 40,000 gallons. What this means is tanker trucks delivering gasoline will have to capture harmful vapors while they are dispensing fuel to underground tanks, rather than letting them escape into the surrounding air. The federal rule only requires vapor recovery at gas facilities dispensing more than 100,000 gallons per month. OTA was very active on the advisory committee that scrutinized the proposed rules and pushed back against fuel industry representatives seeking to relax those rules.

A big THANK YOU! to the Department of Environmental Quality for staying with the more stringent rule and putting the health of Oregonians first!

And a big thanks to all of you who have been displaying OTA’s Don't Top Off and No Idling stickers on your cars and adopting these common-sense practices.

OTA is continuing our campaign by partnering with business and government agencies to educate the public about idling and the dangers of exposure to benzene. See our list of our partners. And we are continuing our education campaign in general. If you don’t yet have stickers, contact OTA and we’ll be glad to get some to you.

Also, don't forget to join Oregon Toxics Alliance to help us continue our work for a clean and green Oregon!