According to the EPA "boutique fuels" have not contributed to price increases for gasoline. However, there is probably some effect, in the range of 1 or 2 cents per gallon.
As far as I know, refineries are shut down anyway to change from summer to winter grades and back.
msnbc.msn.com
WASHINGTON - “Boutique” gasoline blends to help states meet clean air rules are not a factor in higher prices as President Bush has suggested, says a draft of a study ordered by the White House.
Although often cited as a reason for volatile gasoline prices, so-called “boutique fuels” have not caused unusual distribution problems or contributed to price increases, the report concludes.
The review was conducted by a task force headed by the Environmental Protection Agency and involving representatives from the 50 states as well as the Energy and Agriculture departments.
Facing growing public outrage over soaring gasoline prices, Bush ordered the study on April 25 in a speech in which he attributed high gas prices in part to the growth of special fuels.
“We ... need to confront the larger problem of too many localized fuel blends, which are called boutique fuels,” the president told a renewable fuels conference, adding that this has produced “an uncoordinated, overly complex set of fuel rules” that “tends to cause the price to go up.”
But the task force found otherwise, according to its report to be released possibly as early as Friday.
According to a late draft, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, the task force concludes that suggestions of a connection between boutique fuels and supply or price concerns cannot be supported.
The review “did not reveal any studies or empirical data confirming that boutique fuels presently contribute to higher fuel prices or present unusual distribution problems,” said the draft report.
The report, based on input from the states and the Energy and Agriculture departments, was written by the EPA. |
