[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 105 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9435-S9436]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. MOYNIHAN (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Leahy, 
        Mr. Cleland, Mr. Durbin, Mr. D'Amato, and Mrs. Boxer):
  S. 2377. A bill to amend the Clean Air Act to limit the concentration 
of sulfur in gasoline used in motor vehicles; to the committee on 
Environment and Public Works.


                       clean gasoline act of 1998

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, I am proud to introduce today the 
Clean Gasoline Act of 1998, a bill to establish a nationwide, year-
round cap on the sulfur content of gasoline. My bill presents an 
opportunity to make tremendous progress in improving our national air 
quality through a simple, cost-effective measure. Today, 70 million 
people--30 percent of the nation's population--live in counties which 
exceed heatlh-based ozone standards. For just a few pennies a gallon, 
we can make our urban environment appreciably better.
  Sulfur in gasoline contaminates catalytic converters so that they 
remove less of the nitrogen oxide (NOx), carbon monoxide 
(CO), and hydrocarbons (HC) contained in tailpipe emissions. These 
pollutants elevate the levels of particulate matter (PM) and contribute 
to ground-level ozone. By reducing the amount of sulfur allowed in 
gasoline sold nationwide, my bill will substantially improve air 
quality, especially in America's largest cities.
  The current average sulfur content in U.S. gasoline is approximately 
330 parts per million (ppm), and ranges as high as 1,000 ppm. the Clean 
Gasoline Act will impose a year-round cap of 40 ppm on the sulfur 
content of all gasoline sold in the United States. Under my bill, 
refineries will also have the option of meeting an 80 ppm cap, provided 
that they maintain an overall average sulfur content of no more than 30 
ppm.
  Imposing limits on the sulfur content of gasoline will achieve 
tremendous--and virtually immediate--air quality benefits. The 
emissions reductions achieved by lowering gasoline sulfur levels to 40 
ppm would be equivalent to removing 3 million vehicles from the streets 
of New York, and nearly 54 million vehicles from our roads nationwide.
  California imposed a similar cap on gasoline sulfur beginning in 
1996, resulting in significant air quality gains. Japan has already 
established a 50 ppm gasoline standard, and the European Union 
currently has a gasoline sulfur standard of 150 ppm--which will drop to 
50 ppm beginning in the year 2005.
  The gasoline sulfur cap established by my bill will apply year-round. 
A seasonal cap is insufficient because the damage done to catalytic 
converters by sulfur poisoning is not fully reversible by typical 
driving--meaning that vehicle emission controls would be re-poisoned 
every year when high-sulfur gasoline returned to the market. In the 
absence of national standards, travel over state boundaries could 
disable emissions controls.
  The current high-sulfur content of U.S. gasoline will also preclude 
the introduction of the next generation of fuel efficiency 
technologies--most notably fuel cells and direct-injection gasoline 
engines. U.S. citizen will not have access to these advanced 
technologies--unless we adopt low sulfur gasoline standards.
  Mr. President, I believe our task is clear. A national low sulfur 
gasoline standard will result in considerable health and environmental 
benefits. It will maximize the effectiveness of currently available 
vehicle emissions technology, and will enable the introduction of the 
next generation of vehicle technology into the U.S. market. Refineries 
can reduce the sulfur content of gasoline using existing technology 
that is already being used to supply markets in California, Japan, and 
the European Union. Our national fleet is already comprised of world-
class vehicles. It is time for us to provide this fleet with world-
class fuel. I

[[Page S9436]]

urge my colleagues to join my cosponsors and me in supporting this 
important legislation.
 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I join Senator Moynihan in 
offering legislation that would reduce the sulfur content of gasoline. 
Current levels of sulfur in gasoline lead to high nitrogen oxide, 
carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbon emissions by weakening catalytic 
converter emission controls. These emissions elevate ground-level ozone 
and particulate matter pollution.
  As we all have learned, long-term exposure to ozone pollution can 
have significant health impacts, including asthma attacks, breathing 
and respiratory problems, loss of lung function, and lowered immunity 
to disease. The EPA has compared breathing ozone to getting a sunburn 
in your lungs. Children, including Vermont's approximately 10,000 
asthmatic children, are at special risk for adverse health effects from 
ozone pollution. Children playing outside in the summer time, the 
season when concentrations of ground-level ozone are the greatest, may 
suffer from coughing, decreased lung function, and have trouble 
catching their breath. Exposure to particulate matter pollution is 
similarly dangerous causing premature death, increased respiratory 
symptoms and disease, decreased lung function, and alterations in lung 
tissue. These pollutants also result in adverse environmental effects 
such as acid rain and visibility impairment.
  Mr. President, this bill will reduce these pollutants in our 
communities, and more importantly it will reduce these pollutants cost-
effectively. To reduce the sulfur content of gasoline, refineries can 
use currently available technology. These measures will not break the 
bank. California has already adopted the measures in this bill on a 
statewide basis. So have Japan and the members of the European Union.
  Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to support this bill. Let's clean 
up our air so we can all breathe just a little bit easier.
 Mr. CLELAND. Mr. President, I am pleased today to announce 
that I have added my name as an original co-sponsors of the Low Sulfur 
Fuel Act of 1998 and to express my reasons for supporting this 
important legislation. I would first like to thank my colleague from 
New York, Senator Moynihan, for his authorship of this measure and his 
leadership on this issue. The bill establishes a national, year-round 
cap on gasoline sulfur levels, and would impose a reduction of sulfur 
content in gasoline from 300 parts per million (ppm) to 40 ppm within 
two years from the date of enactment.
  High sulfur levels in gasoline increase vehicle emissions of nitrogen 
oxides (NOx), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrocarbons (HC) 
which in turn produce higher levels of particulate matter (PM) and 
contribute to ground level ozone. Reducing sulfur content levels to 40 
ppm has been shown to reduce Nitrogen Oxides by 51 percent, Carbon 
Monoxide by 40 percent, and Hydrocarbons by 24 percent. Essentially, 
the sulfur in gasoline inhibits the catalyst in an automobile from 
doing its job--which is to reduce the emissions of the aforementioned 
pollutants. Sulfur is a contaminant only and does not in any way 
enhance engine performance.
  There are two compelling reasons which led me to support this bill: 
First, helping our states attain the health requirements set forth by 
the Clean Air Act by providing them with a viable tool for reducing 
NOx and CO emissions; and second, updating our gasoline to 
keep pace with other industrialized nations thereby keeping our 
automotive fleet competitive in the international marketplace.
  In my home state of Georgia, the Metro Atlanta area has experienced 
extensive difficulties in complying with the standards set forth by the 
Clean Air Act. In a recent attempt to meet these standards, the Georgia 
Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has voted to implement reduced 
sulfur content in fuel. The rule would require gasoline in the 25 
county area surrounding Atlanta to be reduced to 30 ppm by 2003. 
Georgia is only the second state, after California, to take such 
innovative steps to meet air quality goals. In my review of this bill, 
I sent a copy to Harold Reheis, Director of the Georgia Environmental 
Protection Division (EPD), an agency of the Georgia DNR for his 
comments. In his response, which I will ask unanimous consent to add as 
part of the Record after my statement, Mr. Reheis states that the 
Moynihan bill would ``result in a reduction in air pollutants statewide 
and nationwide.'' Further, he added that this bill ``could help prevent 
ozone nonattainment problems in other urban areas of Georgia like 
Augusta, Columbus, and Macon, which all could have difficulty meeting 
the tighter federal ozone standards adopted by the USEPA last year.'' I 
encourage all my colleagues to contact their State Environmental 
Agencies to request their input on this matter.
  Relating to the second point in support of the bill, the U.S. must 
maintain our innovative and forward thinking approach and support this 
measure because other countries, such as Japan, Egypt, Thailand, and 
every member of the European Union have already required similar caps 
on the sulfur content of their gasoline. Thus, in order for us to 
compete with these and other countries, we must take this extremely 
valuable step. California has already taken such action and now we have 
the opportunity to send a message to the rest of the world, that we, as 
a nation, are committed to cleaner, more fuel efficient gasoline. 
Further, we should signify that we are committed to ensuring that our 
auto industry and the U.S. consumer are equipped with the 
infrastructure necessary to take advantage of the emerging market for 
new, innovative, less polluting automobiles.
  There is a real possibility that if the U.S. does not take this 
action, we would fall behind the rest of the industrialized world--a 
position that the US should never be in--and become the dumping ground 
for higher sulfur level fuels--making it more difficult to shift to the 
lower sulfur fuels and inhibiting U.S. automakers from producing and 
U.S. consumers from purchasing, cleaner and more fuel efficient 
technologies.
  The crux of this issue is that reducing sulfur content in gasoline to 
40 ppm, year round, is a viable, cost-effective tool to dramatically 
reduce pollutants which cause high levels of Particulate Matter as well 
as Ozone and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
  I ask unanimous consent that the letter from Mr. Reheis be printed in 
the Record.
  There being no objection, the letter was ordered to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                                Georgia Department


                                         of Natural Resources,

                                       Atlanta, GA, June 22, 1998.
     Hon. Max Cleland,
     U.S. Senate, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC.
       Dear Senator Cleland: Thank you for sharing with EPD the 
     proposed bill by Senator Moynihan to require the use of low 
     sulfur gasoline all over the United States. The bill is a 
     fine idea, and we have done something similar in Georgia. The 
     Board of Natural Resources, upon my recommendation, recently 
     promulgated rules to require low sulfur gasoline to be sold 
     in 25 counties in and around Metro Atlanta starting May 1999.
       The proposed Senate bill would result in a reduction in air 
     pollutants statewide and nationwide. This could help prevent 
     ozone nonattainment problems in other urban areas of Georgia 
     like Augusta, Columbus, and Macon, which all could have 
     difficulty meeting the tighter federal ozone standards 
     adopted by USEPA last year.
       I think the bill deserves your support. Please contact me 
     if you need future information.
           Sincerely,
                                                 Harold F. Reheis,
                                                 Director.
                                 ______