Snail Pace on Petrol Vapour Puts Air Quality and Public Health at Risk

Friday, 19 December 2008 01:44

Technology for capturing these emissions at the pump has been available for decades with it first adopted in parts of the United States in 1972 and since by many European and Asian countries. Phase in periods overseas have ranged from between 18 months and 5 years. NSW is proposing 9 years

TEC Urban Campaigner Mr Leigh Martin said “Petrol vapour emissions during refuelling are a major and growing source of dangerous air pollutants. Motorists are also exposed to chemicals such as benzene during refuelling. The NSW plan is twice to eight times slower than anywhere else – an unacceptable snail’s pace”

“The technology which is well proven should also be installed at all petrol stations without delay. There is no logical reason why NSW petrol stations should need nine years to introduce technology that has been installed overseas in a fraction of the time,” Mr Martin said.

A further problem with the draft regulation is a complete exemption for petrol stations with sales below 3.5 million litres per year.

“The government seems to be trying to protect smaller independent stations from the cost of introducing vapour recovery, but without this technology they will lose customers to their competitors who aren’t poisoning car owners. The government has also failed to explain why customers and staff of smaller stations should be given less protection from harmful petrol fumes,” Mr Martin said.