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NPN Magazine April 2013

National Petroleum News (NPN) has been the independent voice of the petroleum industry since 1909 as the opposition to Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. So, motor fuels marketing and retail is not just a sideline for us, it’s our core competency.

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MARKETING & SUPPLY BY SHElDONRIPSON AND KEiTHREID More states allow fuel marketers to remove systems the EPA called "less cost-effective" FUEL MARKETERS CONSIDER OPTIONS FOR DECOMMISSIONING STAGE II VAPOR RECOVERY SYSTEMS S Stage II Vapor recovery systems can be decommissioned with Husky Corporation's EZ Connect. Includes adaptor, whip hose, break-away, fuel hose, swivel, and nozzle. 16 APril 2013  ince 1994, gasoline retailers in clean Air  Act  nonattainment  areas  have  been  required  to  use  Stage  II  vapor  recovery  systems  to  address  vapor  loss  at  the  dispenser  nozzle.  This  built on Stage I requirements that addressed vapor  issues  with  the  fuel  drop.  In  addition,  since  1998  automobiles  have  been  installing  onboard  refueling vapor recovery—or ORVR—aimed  at  accomplishing  the  same  purpose.  Since  2006,  all  new  automobiles  and  light  trucks  are  equipped  with these systems.  Two  types  of  Stage  II  systems  are  in  place  across  the  United  States.  Vapor  Balance  systems  are  characterized  by  the  large  bellows  attached  to  the  fuel  nozzle.  The  other  Stage  II  system,  Vacuum  Assist,  has  a  smaller  vapor  collector  on  the  nozzle  paired  with  a  vacuum  pump  that  pulls  gasoline  vapor  back  to  the  underground  storage  tank. Balance systems can be more efficient and less  expensive (and work well with ORVR), but tend to  have limited hose lengths. Currently, the installed  base is roughly split between the two technologies. The  EPA  announced  in  2012  it  will  waive  its  Stage  II  vapor  recovery  requirements  in  approximately 40 ozone nonattainment areas and 13 ozone  transport  regions.  The  agency  determined  ORVR  was widespread in the highway motor vehicle fleet  and  effective  at  capturing  vapors  evacuated  from  the gasoline tank. The widespread use designation  was made after EPA determined more than 75 percent of gasoline is dispensed into vehicles that have  ORVR systems. "By  waiving  the  Stage  II  requirement,  EPA  is  reducing regulatory burdens on the gasoline service  station industry," the agency wrote in its fact sheet  regarding the ruling.  "Essentially,  the  EPA  believes  vapor  collection  at  the  pump  is  no  longer  required  because  it  is  being  sufficiently  addressed  by  the  ORVR  systems in vehicles. So Stage II is effectively obsolete,"  said  Brad  Baker,  executive  vice  president  at  Husky  Corporation,  which  manufactures  fuel  nozzles, hoses, breakaways and accessories. Husky  Corporation offers a preassembled and fully tested  set of hanging hardware allowing fuel marketers to  replace their Stage II equipment. The EZ Connect  package  includes  an  adapter  (to  plug  the  vapor  recovery  line  at  the  dispenser),  whip  hose,  breakaway, fuel hose, swivel, and nozzle. The  agency  estimated  potential  national  cost  savings  for  facilities  that  decommission  Stage  II  systems  at  more  than  $91  million.  That  amounts  to  recurring  savings  of  about  $3,000  per  year  for  30,600 dispensing facilities outside California with  Stage II equipment. "Many  of  our  customers  throughout  New  England have been jumping at the opportunity to  decommission their Stage II systems," said Burnie  Gaff,  president  and  CEO  of  Gaftek,  one  of  New  England's  largest  petroleum  installation  contractors and service providers.  "Not only are Stage II  components more expensive to maintain, they are  more  cumbersome  to  use  by  the  customer.  They  are more bulky and are certainly less flexible than  their conventional equivalent." The EPA ruling does not mean all fuel marketers  are  free  to  eliminate  their  Stage  II  systems.  States  NPN Magazine  n  www.npnweb.com

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