ACTION: Notice of Intent to Consider Amendments to Rule 40-20-1-01 entitled Standards for Petroleum Products

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:

Pursuant to the Official Code of Georgia Annotated §§ 10-1-155 and 50-13-4, notice is hereby given that the Georgia Department of Agriculture will be accepting written comments regarding amendments to Rule 40-20-1-.01 entitled Standards for Petroleum Products. The Department will be accepting written comments from December 6, 2019, to close of business (4:30 p.m. EST) on February 7, 2020.

Pursuant to O.C.G.A. §§ 10-1-155 and 50-13-4, notice is also hereby given that the Department will hold a public hearing to consider the adoption of these amendments on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 3 of the Administration Building at the Macon State Farmers’ Market located at 2055 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon, Georgia 31206.

SYNOPSIS, MAIN FEATURES, AND DIFFERENCES:

The Department is proposing to amend Rule 40-20-1-.01 to conform to standard specifications of ASTM International, regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and industry practices. The proposed amendments and reasons for change are summarized as follows:

  • The Department is proposing to amend the volatility requirements for classes of spark ignition engine fuel without oxygenates. Specifically, the Department is proposing to remove requirements for classes AA-2 and AA-3, as these will not be available at retailers in 2020. On September 21, 2019, EPA approved the relaxation of gasoline Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) from 7.8 to 9.0 psi in Metro-Atlanta’s 13 counties; meaning, 9.0 psi RVP gasoline (Class A) can be used across the entire state of Georgia during the RVP season (June 1 to September 15). The Department is also proposing to configure requirements using table formats and adjust the sales timing to account for the removal of classes AA-2 and AA-3.
  • The Department is proposing to amend the specification for spark ignition engine fuels with oxygenates to address the removal of classes AA-2 and AA-3 discussed above.
  • The Department is proposing to correct temperature units and measurement units which are incorrectly configured in the Rule as maintained by the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office. These corrections affect only the units and not the associated numbers.
  • The Department is proposing to make grammatical adjustments throughout the Rule
  • to ensure clarity.

COMMENT PERIOD, PUBLIC HEARING, AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The Department will be accepting written comments from December 6, 2019, to close of business (4:30 p.m. EST) on February 7, 2020. Please submit written comments to:

Doug Killingsworth, Fuel and Measures Division Director
Georgia Department of Agriculture
19 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, S.W.
Room 321, Fuel, Measures, Warehouse and Bonding
Atlanta, Georgia 30334
Telephone: 404-656-3605
Email: William.Killingsworth@agr.georgia.gov

Interested persons may call or submit a written request to obtain a copy of the proposed rules. A copy of the synopsis and the proposed rules may be downloaded from the Georgia Department of Agriculture website at www.agr.georgia.gov.

The Department will also hold a public hearing to consider the adoption of these amendments on Wednesday, February 12, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 3 of the Administration Building at the Macon State Farmers’ Market located at 2055 Eisenhower Parkway, Macon, Georgia 31206.

This notice is given in compliance with the Georgia Administrative Procedure Act, O.C.G.A. § 50-13-4.

Related documents