In a move sure to please urban-area gas station owners, the EPA has issued a waiver to its 1994 rule requiring gas pump vapor recovery systems. The devices were required in mostly urban areas to reduce smog-causing vapors from being released into the air during the refueling of vehicles.
With more than 70 percent of vehicles on the road already having a vapor recovery device, the EPA says the pump system is redundant. The agency says waiving the requirement will save the nation's gas station owners an estimated $91 million a year.
Since 2006, all new vehicles have been required to have onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) capabilities. While a vehicle is being refueled, the ORVR captures hazardous fumes that can worsen smog and impact public health.
The EPA website doesn't say specifically when this waiver goes into effect, just that it's "later this year."