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INDUSTRY VOICE BY JIMWALTON CARB regulation leads to development of Enhanced Vapor Recovery systems for ASTs that help prevent hydrocarbon emissions from compromising the safety of the environment CLEARING THE AIR (AND WATER) S TOP AND THINK ABOUT IT FOR A MINUTE OR TWO— When was the last time you gave even a second thought to the level of cleanliness of the air you breathe or the water you drink? How about whether that winding stream or open meadow might be contaminated by carcinogens? On any given day, we can move from home to car to office to store to park to movie theater and back home again without even once considering if the air is safe to breathe in any of those places. From the kitchen tap to the water fountain at the gym, we consume water throughout the day without needing to verify whether or not it may be harmful to our health. The bottom line is, we all have many more important things to do and worry about during the course of the day than whether or not that deep breath we take or that glass of water we swallow will have an adverse affect on us. All of this despite the fact that contaminants are all around us, all with the potential to do damage to the safety of the air and water that we generally take for granted. From chlorofluoro-carbons that may damage the ozone layer to the transport tanker that is delivering several thousand gallons of unleaded gasoline to the local service station, the potential for airborne contamination is ever-present. However, that potential is minimized through the creation and implementation of regulations that have been designed to restrict the release of harmful emissions into the atmo- sphere. These regulations result in cleaner air and water, and an overall healthier environment in which we live our lives. One of the leaders in developing regulations that help ensure the cleanest air, purest water and greenest envi- ronment—especially in regard to controlling the release of harmful hydrocarbon emissions, vapors and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the delivery, transfer, storage and use of petroleum products—is the California Environmental Protection Agency's Air Resources Board (CARB). One of CARB's more recent edicts concerns the certification procedure for vapor-recovery systems that are 26 JULY/AUGUST 2012 installed at gasoline-dispensing facili- ties—whether public or private—that store their products in aboveground storage tanks. As of July 1, 2010, all GDFs in J.C. (Jim) Walton, P. Eng., is Vice President- Regulatory Affairs for OPW Fueling Components, based in Hamilton, OH. He can be reached at +1 513-870-3144 or jwalton@opw-fc.com. California—a universe that includes retail outlets, fleet/commercial fueling operations, municipalities, aviation fuel- ing sites, and agriculture, construction, maintenance and emergency response operations—needed to be compliant with Vapor Recovery Certification Procedure CP-206, alternately titled, "Certification Procedure for Vapor Recovery Systems At Gasoline Dispensing Facilities Using Aboveground Storage Tanks." CARB defines a vapor-recovery system as a complete system and its components, including all associated ASTs, dispensers, pip- ing, nozzles, couplers, processing units and any other equip- ment or components necessary for evaporation control or the control of gasoline vapors during refueling operations at GDFs. THE CHALLENGE There are two things that immediately come to mind when thinking of CARB and its mandate: its unwavering commit- ment to providing the cleanest air, water and environment possible for the residents of California, and that when it talks, people listen. When CARB adopts a new environmental-com- pliance regulation, regulators around the nation generally sit up and take notice because these CARB regulations, or varia- tions thereof, are typically adopted by other states when they themselves are required to meet U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regulations. Since its establishment in 1967, CARB has systematically attempted to eliminate sources of air pollution in California. After establishing stringent emission regulations for vehi- NPN Magazine n www.npnweb.com