Gov. Tony Evers took action to maintain supplies of gasoline after a fire was reported at an Indiana oil refinery last week.
On August 24, BP's 435,000 barrel-per-day refinery located in Whiting, Indiana, suffered an electrical fire. As a result, the operation ceased production while a damage assessment was conducted. By capacity, the refinery is the sixth biggest in the United States and provides approximately 20 percent to 25 percent of the refined gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel used collectively by Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin.
The governor also requested waivers from the Environmental Protection Agency to assist in addressing any potential fuel supply issues. The EPA has already issued a waiver for the four states, raising the summer vapor pressure allowance, which temporarily raises the Reid Vapor Pressure limit for conventional and reformulated gasoline to allow for the immediate transition to winter blend fuel in order to take advantage of existing fuel stocks.
Consistent with these federal waiver requests, the Department of Agriculture followed suit and issued a RVP fuel waiver in Wisconsin.
Categories: Wisconsin, Energy