WASHINGTON, July 11 (UPI) -- The Obama administration says it is considering waiving a U.S. requirement for capturing gasoline vapors when refueling vehicles.
The Environmental Protection Agency is issuing a proposal under the Clean Air Act that would end systems used at gas station pumps to capture potentially harmful gasoline vapors during fill-ups.
The proposal is part of the administration's review of outdated and redundant rules in an effort to ensure federal regulations are beneficial without being unnecessarily burdensome to American businesses, an EPA release said Monday.
Gasoline vapor recovery systems have been required at gas station in certain locations since 1994.
However, under the Clean Air Act automobile manufacturers began installing onboard refueling vapor recovery technologies in 1998, and since 2006 all new vehicles have such systems, making gas stations' equipment redundant, the EPA said.
The proposal would still protect air quality and public health while potentially saving affected gas stations more than $3,000 annually, the agency said.
