State Fuels
The federal Clean Air Act establishes national fuel emission standards, but also allows states to adopt unique fuel programs to meet local air quality needs. The combination of federal and state fuel programs is intended to balance the importance of standard fuel quality across the country with the need for sufficient flexibility to address specific air quality issues at the state or local level.
State fuel programs are sometimes referred to as "boutique." Most of these programs set lower gasoline volatility requirements than the federal standards, and most are effective for only part of the year. For more information on these programs, please view the list of states with boutique fuel programs.
On December 28, 2006, EPA issued a Federal Register notice listing fuels approved in State Implementation Plans (SIPs) as of September 1, 2004. (See 71 FR 78195.) On December 4, 2020, EPA published an updated listing of the fuels approved in SIPs in the Federal Register. (See 85 FR 78412.) The updated list includes the states and Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts (PADDs) where the fuels are used. Issuance of this list and updates to the list are required by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Updated List of Boutique Fuel Programs as of August 13, 2024:1
| Type of Fuel Control | PADD** | Region - State | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| RVP of 7.8 psi | 2 | 5 - IN |
Clark and Floyd |
| 3 | 6 - TX (May 1-Oct. 1)* | 95 counties in East Texas*** | |
| RVP of 7.0 psi | 2 | 5 - MI | Lenawee, Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne |
| 3 | 4 - AL 2 | Jefferson and Shelby | |
| 3 | 6 - TX (May 1- Sept 16)* | El Paso | |
| Low Emission Diesel | 3 | 6-TX | 110 counties in Central and East Texas**** |
| Cleaner Burning Gasoline (Summer) | 5 | 9 - AZ (May 1 - Sept 30)# | Maricopa, Pinal (part) and Yavapai (part)***** |
| Cleaner Burning Gasoline (Non-Summer) | 5 | 9 - AZ (Oct 1- Apr 30) | Maricopa, Pinal (part) and Yavapai (part)***** |
| Winter Gasoline (aromatics & sulfur) | 5 | 9 - NV2 |
Clark |
*Dates listed in parentheses refer to summer gasoline programs with different RVP control periods from the federal RVP control period, which runs from June 1 through September 15.
#Maximum vapor pressure for gasoline that is supplied or sold by any person and that is intended as a final product for the fueling of motor vehicles is:
- 9.0 pounds per square inch from May 1 through May 30 of each year; and
- 7.0 pounds per square inch from and after May 31 through September 30 of each year.
**Petroleum Administration for Defense Districts
*** Eastern Texas counties include:
- Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Bowie, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Cooke, Coryell, De Witt, Delta, Ellis, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Karnes, Kaufman, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Panola, Parker, Polk, Rains, Red River, Refugio, Robertson, Rockwall, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Somervell, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wise, and Wood.
Note: Six of the counties listed above are in the Dallas-Fort Worth 2008 ozone NAAQS nonattainment area. The Dallas-Fort Worth area has been reclassified as Severe for the 2008 ozone NAAQS. The six counties are Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall and Wise. As such, beginning with the 2024 summer season (June 1 through September 15 for retailers and wholesale purchaser consumers, and May 1 through September 15 for all other persons) gasoline sold in these six counties in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area will be required to comply with the more stringent Federal RFG RVP per gallon cap of 7.4 psi rather than the State RVP cap of 7.8 psi per gallon during the summer season. See 40 CFR 1090.215(a)(3).
**** Central and Eastern Texas counties include:
- Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller counties (Houston-Galveston-Brazoria ozone nonattainment area).
- Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties (Beaumont–Port Arthur ozone nonattainment area).
- Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties (Dallas–Fort Worth ozone nonattainment area).
- Anderson, Angelina, Aransas, Atascosa, Austin, Bastrop, Bee, Bell, Bexar, Bosque, Bowie, Brazos, Burleson, Caldwell, Calhoun, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Colorado, Comal, Cooke, Coryell, De Witt, Delta, Falls, Fannin, Fayette, Franklin, Freestone, Goliad, Gonzales, Grayson, Gregg, Grimes, Guadalupe, Harrison, Hays, Henderson, Hill, Hood, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, Jackson, Jasper, Karnes, Lamar, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Limestone, Live Oak, Madison, Marion, Matagorda, McLennan, Milam, Morris, Nacogdoches, Navarro, Newton, Nueces, Panola, Polk, Rains, Red River, Refugio, Robertson, Rusk, Sabine, San Jacinto, San Patricio, San Augustine, Shelby, Smith, Somervell, Titus, Travis, Trinity, Tyler, Upshur, Van Zandt, Victoria, Walker, Washington, Wharton, Williamson, Wilson, Wise, and Wood counties.
***** The Arizona summer and non-summer Cleaner Burning Gasoline programs apply in Maricopa County and portions of Yavapai and Pinal counties that are part of ‘‘Area A’’ as defined in Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS) §49–541. The Cleaner Burning Gasoline programs do not apply on tribal lands within this area.
1 The following state fuel programs are no longer being implemented and have been removed the states’ approved SIPs since the boutique list was published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2006. (See 71 FR 78195.) Therefore, these state fuel programs are no longer included on the boutique fuel list.
Illinois – RVP of 7.2 psi: EPA published a direct final rule on October 6, 2014 (79 FR 60065) that removed Illinois’s gasoline rule that applied to 8 counties in its portion of the St. Louis, MO-IL ozone area.
Georgia – RVP of 7.0 psi with gasoline sulfur provisions: EPA published a final rule on September 1, 2015 (80 FR 52627) that removed Georgia’s gasoline rule that covered the 45-county Atlanta area from the approved SIP.
Ohio – RVP of 7.8 psi: EPA published a final rule on April 7, 2017 (82 FR 16932) that removed Ohio’s gasoline rule that applied to 8 counties in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas from the approved SIP.
Maine - RVP of 7.8 psi: EPA published a final rule on July 19, 2017 (82 FR 33012) that removed Maine’s gasoline rule from the approved SIP. That rule had applied to 7 counties in the southern part of the state (Androscoggin, Cumberland, Kennebec, Knox, Lincoln, Sagadahoc, and York counties). Currently, the sale of RFG is required in those 7 counties.
Pennsylvania – RVP of 7.8 psi: EPA published a final rule on December 20, 2018 (83 FR 65301) that removed Pennsylvania’s rule that required the sale of 7.8 psi gasoline in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. The effective date of the rule is January 22, 2019. As of that date the sale of gasoline with an RVP of 7.8 psi is no longer required in Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties. On July 5, 2019 (84 FR 32076) EPA published a final rule that removed the Allegheny County Health Department’s rule that required the sale of 7.8 psi gasoline in Allegheny County. The rule was effective on publication. Therefore, as of July 5, 2019, the sale of gasoline with an RVP of 7.8 psi is no longer required in the Pittsburgh area (Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland Counties).
Kansas – RVP of 7.0 psi: EPA published a final rule on March 12, 2021 (86 FR 14000) that removed Kansas’ gasoline rule that applied to 2 counties in the Kansas portion of the Kansas City, KS-MO area from the approved SIP. The final rule was effective on April 12, 2021.
Missouri – RVP of 7.0 psi: EPA published a final rule on March 12, 2021 (86 FR 14007) that removed Missouri’s gasoline rule that applied to 3 counties in the Missouri portion of the Kansas City, KS-MO area from the approved SIP. The final rule was effective on April 12, 2021.
2 The following state fuel programs are no longer being implemented but have been retained in approved SIPs as contingency measures since the boutique list was published in the Federal Register on December 28, 2006. (See 71 FR 78195.) Therefore, these state fuel programs continue to be listed on the boutique fuel list:
Alabama – RVP of 7.0 psi: Implementation of Alabama’s 7.0 psi gasoline RVP rule was suspended when EPA approved Alabama’s request to move the rule to the contingency measure portion of the SIP for the Birmingham area. Because the fuel rule was retained as a contingency measure it remains on the boutique fuel list. (See 77 FR 23619, April 20, 2012.)
Nevada – Winter Gasoline (aromatics and sulfur): Implementation of Nevada’s winter gasoline (aromatics and sulfur) fuel rule was suspended when the Las Vegas CO area was redesignated to attainment. The winter fuel rule was retained as a contingency measure and therefore remains on the boutique fuel list. (See 75 FR 59090, September 27, 2010.)