I had no idea the Phoenix area had a special blend of fuel. Is it truly unique to this area? Or is this fuel used in other metropolitan areas?

Quote:

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Dear Friends,



People in the energy industry sometimes use confusing terms that carry important definitions. However, if you want to understand the forces that drive prices at the pump, you need to master a few common terms:



Octane: Your engine burns a mixture of air and fuel that is injected into each engine cylinder. Octane ratings measure engine knock, that "pinging" sound you may hear when some of the air-fuel mixture spontaneously ignites too early. Octane does not measure the amount of power you get from gasoline. Don't buy premium gas unless your car manufacturer specifically recommends it.



Diesel: Gasoline engines use an electric spark to ignite fuel. In a diesel engine, fuel droplets are sprayed into an engine cylinder and compressed until they ignite. Diesel engines work best when they run at a constant rate. That's why they're used in buses, trucks and trains. Diesel engines tend to emit more particulates, but new rules by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) require diesel vehicles produced after 2007 to run on ultra-low-sulfur-fuel that will reduce particulate pollution, which contributes to the brown cloud we sometimes see during the cooler winter months.



Unleaded Gasoline: Lead originally was added to fuel to reduce engine knock, but it resulted in dangerous levels of pollution. In 1973 the EPA began an effort to reduce the use of leaded fuel. It has been illegal since Dec. 31, 1995 to sell it for use on U.S. roads.



Cleaner-Burning Fuels (CBG): Clean Burning Gasoline (CBG) was introduced to the Valley in July 1997 in response to the EPA's determination that the Phoenix Metropolitan Area was not meeting the federal health standards for ozone and carbon monoxide.



Arizona CBG consists of the same ingredients as gasoline that is currently sold in the Valley; however, the cleaner burning gasoline is a modified blend of gasoline components designed to reduce emissions of all pollutants, including hazardous air pollutants. Use of Arizona CBG reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 29 tons per day, nitrogen oxides by 7 tons per day and carbon monoxide (during winter months) by 43 tons per day. Due to the progress made on carbon monoxide pollution since CBG was introduced in the Phoenix Area, the EPA determined that the metro area has met the federal health standard for carbon monoxide.



Familiarizing yourself with these terms will help you save money and better understand some of the issues surrounding fuel costs.



As always, I encourage you to visit my Web page devoted to gasoline information at www.azgovernor.gov/fuelfacts. Please check the site often throughout the summer as we add fuel saving tips.



Yours very truly,



Janet Napolitano

 

In Houston, we have a special blend due to our air quality non-attainment status. It supposedly reduces our gas mileage by a couple points as well. Recently, we also switched over to E10 because of the MTBE issue.

Jeff

 

Yeah if I remember correctly, "ordinary" E10 wasn't deemed good enough for Phoenix in the summer because of our incredibly high evaporative rates thanks to the heat. What's it supposed to get up to today? 117 degrees? Ugh!

 

Lots of big cities/metro areas are forced to use exotic blends (usually in summer) by govt. mandate. I recall one such blend being foisted on the Ft. Worth-Dallas area. In true govt. fashion (i.e., stupidly), this newfangled gas gave worse MPG, thereby negating any decrease in emissions!


"Everything the government touches turns to crap." -- Ringo Starr