While the days of cars and trucks belching black clouds of exhaust and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) into the atmosphere are long gone, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continually looks for ways to keep the air as clean as possible. One of its major focuses is on the number and amount of HAPs that may be produced at gasoline-dispensing facilities (GDFs). Not only the vapors that are produced during the fueling process, but those that are created when delivery trucks are unloading their gasoline or diesel shipments into a petroleum site's storage tanks, whether it be an attended or unattended location.
With emissions and vapor recovery having been a long-standing issue for GDFs, many GDFs have had to be proactive in employing vapor-recovery systems to address various EPA regulations. One of these regulations includes the EPA's "40 Code of Regulations (CFR) Part 63, Subpart CCCCCC: National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Source Category: Gasoline- Dispensing Facilities"—commonly referred to as "40 CFR 63."
Basically, what this regulation does is establish national emission standards and management practices for HAPs that are emitted during the loading of gasoline storage tanks at GDFs. In conjunction with the regulation, operators of these sites must demonstrate compliance with the established emission limitations and management practices.
Every new regulation provides a new challenge for a petroleum equipment manufacturer to develop and produce a new line of products that can meet the particulars of a new mandate, knowing that the products that are produced are also helping to enhance the safety of the environment. When it comes to the edicts of 40 CFR 63, OPW Fueling Containment Systems provides a complete line for GDFs, from spill containment and pressure/ vacuum vents to overfill protection, vapor-tight caps and swivel adaptors.
As long as our vehicles continue to run on petroleum products, there will be regulations that govern how those products are used and that limit and control their environmental effects. Leading equipment suppliers like OPW Fueling Containment Systems have earned the trust of many site operators through their long years of aid and assistance as the operators wind their way through the regulatory minefield.
To learn more about this topic, read the article from National Petroleum News magazine.
How has 40 CFR 63 impacted your business?