Roadshow: Surplus of gasoline blends leads to shortage of fuel, higher prices

Q "Why do we have to add additives and stuff to our fuel in California that jack prices way up? Gas was $1.88 a gallon in St. Louis, but their sky looked just as blue as ours. Is it just that we have way too many tree huggers in California?"

A "No. Gas has gone way up in St. Louis since your recent visit, rising to an average of $2.37 a gallon Thursday. But that pales in comparison to the $3.01 we are paying in the South Bay."

"I would retool your question: Why don't the nation's smoggiest areas use the same gas California sells, which is the cleanest-burning fuel in the United States? The Clean Air Act of the early 1990s requires special blends of gasoline to be used in the country's urban areas. Instead of settling on one type of reformulated gas, Washington permits each area to use whatever blend it wants. There are about 18 different types, making it difficult to move gas from one region to another when supplies run tight. That is a major reason behind the 40-cent-a-gallon increase over the last month."

By Gary Richards Mercury News Staff Columnist 03/09/2007
http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_5394790?source=rss