HARRY HUGHES, Governor

3739

FOR the purpose of requesting the Air Management Administration
of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to furnish a
report to the General Assembly outlining proposed
regulations pertinent information on Stage II Vapor Recovery
Controls and other alternative strategies for the control of
Volatile Organic Compounds prior to any administrative
decision to adopt such regulations additional Volatile
Organic Compounds Emission Controls.

WHEREAS, Maryland is part of an Air Quality General Region
required by the U.S. Clean Air Act to implement controls of Stage
II Vapor Emissions to attain the national ozone standard; and

WHEREAS, The Baltimore and Washington Air Quality Control
regions are not in compliance with the National Ambient Air
Quality standard for ozone and Maryland is required by the U.S.
Clean Air Act to meet the National Ambient Air Quality standard
for ozone by 1987; and

WHEREAS, The strategy for meeting the National Ambient Air
Quality standard for ozone is to control emissions of Volatile
Organic Compounds (VOC), and although Maryland has adopted a
vehicle emission inspection program and certain controls on
industrial emissions of VOC, additional reductions in VOC
emissions are necessary to meet the ozone standard; and

WHEREAS, Vapors that escape when motor vehicles are refueled
remain a major uncontrolled source of VOC emissions in the
Baltimore and Washington regions; and

WHEREAS, Stage II Emissions from refueling motor vehicles
can be controlled by (1) installation at a service station of
equipment that transfers the vapors from a motor vehicle gas tank
to the underground storage tank, termed "Stage II Controls", or
(2) installation of carbon canisters and -a- fill pipe seal
installed on the motor vehicle is seals on new motor vehicles
whereby the displaced vapors are absorbed adsorbed by the carbon
as the gas tank is filled with gasoline, termed "On-board
Controls"; and

WHEREAS, Studies have been conducted by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency detailing the costs, efficiency,
and effectiveness of both systems and indicating that the
adoption of State II Controls will result in substantial cost to
the individual service stations and the ultimate consumer, while
the implementation of On-board Controls can be accomplished at a
minimum cost per vehicle and with a higher rate of effectiveness
than the "Stage II Controls"; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies
appear to favor On-board Controls while the Air Management
Administration of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,
charged with the responsibility for selecting one of the systems
appears to favor State II Controls; and it is expected that the
Environmental Protection Agency will make a recommendation for