What’s Wrong with California’s Reformulated Gas

California’s Reformulated Gasoline (RFG, phase II), which includes MTBE, is suspect for a number of reasons:

Write the White House and challenge them on RFG and Smog Check. If the eco-freak cronies are still there, you should expect 12+ pages of literature blasting KGO, among other things.

It cost the oil companies billions of dollars

If RFG isn’t helping to reduce smog, this money has been completely wasted. And since they have passed all of this cost on to consumers already, this means that your money has been wasted.

It doesn’t reduce smog

If reports are true that the new gasoline is 5–10% less fuel-efficient, than that reduction in mileage alone wipes out all of the (or more than) promised emissions savings. According to a caller (Pattrick) on Bill Wattenburg’s show (December 31, 1996, while filling in on the Gene Burns show), he talked to Brad Shims at CARB, who admitted to him on the phone that while CARB has publicly stated (many times) that the new gas caused only a 1% reduction in mileage, their tests actually measured a reduction in mileage of 1–7% (with an average of 6.5%). In other words, they flat-out lied.

The goal of this gas was to reduce pollution, yet many tests have shown that the new gas results in between 5% to 10% less mileage, resulting in more gas being burned for each mile traveled–enough to completely counteract the reduction in pollutants created per gallon, and in all likelihood putting more pollution into the air than before. Yes,
more pollution.

Another effect of this new gas was the initial high cost of gas in California after the introduction of RFG—30 cents higher than in the rest of the nation. This was grossly unfair, and was almost entirely the fault of CARB. The direct increased cost of manufacturing this gas is between 8 and 10 cents, with the rest resulting from the supply constriction caused by this mandate, and because the switch was mandated all at once, instead of being phased in. There are still four refineries in the state producing the old gas, but since they can’t sell it in California, it gets shipped out of state. Additional shortages have been created by problems at the remaining refineries, including explosions and other accidents. One state official and some refinery unions are also claiming that the production methods of this new gas, along with increased pressure on production volumes, are directly responsible for the refinery accidents.

KGO-TV has also been investigating this issue, and has reported that based on several sets of tests they have had performed by independent testing facilities, the reduction in mileage is typically 6%, the horsepower reduction is about 5%, and most recently, that the new gas is actually creating more pollution at highway speeds in many cars. Their latest
report is that CARB hid unfavorable mileage results from the limited testing they did perform, thus distorting their claims of only moderate mileage reduction.