Connecticut Gas Stations to Change Pump Nozzles by 2015

Gas stations that dispense more than 10,000 gallons per month will be required to change their pump nozzles by July 1, 2015.

July 05, 2013

HARTFORD – A Connecticut bill signed into law last month will require nearly every gas station in Connecticut to change their pump nozzles within the next two years, disconnecting the vapor recovery systems required by the Clean Air Act of 1991, The Hartford Courant reports. 

Those Stage II vapor recovery systems, which include a bellows or a disk near the pump handle, are no longer needed because of advancements in car gas valves. The existing nozzles are incompatible with the new technology and cause leakage of volatile organic compounds. 

The change is welcome news for station owners, who pay thousands of dollars annually to maintain the nozzles. According to Department of Energy and Environmental Protection estimates, the savings will be $6.6 million annually.

The law applies to any gas station that dispenses more than 10,000 gallons per month, with decommissioning of the equipment required by July 1, 2015. 

"Since 1998, cars have been required to have control devices in place that control the vapors, and those systems work much better and are much more reliable than the stations' control systems that have been put in place," said Robert Girard, assistant director of air enforcement with the state's energy department.

The new measure also stiffens the requirement on Stage 1 equipment, with station owners now required to perform a pressure decay test annually instead of every three years, ensuring there are no leaks in their underground system.

"With fewer older vehicles in the fleet, Stage II programs have reached a point where the emissions benefit no longer justifies the cost of installing new Stage II systems or maintaining existing ones," said Daniel Esty, commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. 

For owners, the law means no longer having to undergo an annual $5,000 maintenance per station, among other repair costs. 

"Over the long run it'll be a huge savings [for gas station owners]," said Michael Fox, executive director of the Gasoline and Automotive Services Dealers of America, adding that the association has been pushing for the repeal for about five years. "This was basically getting the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection off their butt to recognize that."

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