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TEMPORARY RELIEF GRANTED TO HELP EMERGENCY GAS SUPPLY DISRUPTION IN MIDWEST

Release Date: 08/28/2001
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Note to Correspondents

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today a compliance agreement with CITGO for a limited time to ensure a reliable supply of gasoline is provided to consumers in the Chicago Milwaukee area. Gasoline supplies were cut short by a fire at the CITGO refinery in Lemont, Ill. The impact to the environment will be minimal since air toxics and nitrogen oxides benefits will be preserved. Under this agreement CITGO will retain reformulated gasoline (RFG) standards but will be allowed to relax the volatile organic compound requirement from Aug. 28 to Sept. 15.

On August 14, the CITGO Lemont refinery’s crude unit caught fire causing a shortage in the supply of cleaner burning RFG. CITGO has asked EPA for relief until Sept. 15, to address this supply disruption. EPA has responded to this request and has signed with CITGO an agreement specific to this emergency situation. This agreement is consistent with EPA’s past history for providing discretion in emergency supply disruptions.

During the upcoming months, EPA will work with the Department of Energy and other agencies to closely monitor the situation caused by the Lemont refinery fire. More information about the RFG program is found at: www.epa.gov/otaq/rfg.htm


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