Results from NCWM Interim Meeting

This week, the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM) held its interim meeting in St. Pete Beach, Florida. On the agenda were items regarding ethanol flex fuel labeling, tightening the acceptable UST water acceptance level from 1 inch to ¼ inch and skimming issues.

Ethanol Flex Fuel Labeling
There were two items relating to ethanol flex fuel labeling at the dispenser. PMAA was concerned with the ethanol industry’s attempt to only cite the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) labeling requirements for E10 plus blends in NCWM Handbook 130 instead of both the FTC and the EPA required E15 label. If dispensers are not labeled in accordance with the EPA E15 labeling requirements, retailers would be in violation of the Clean Air Act with possible fines. To this end, PMAA urged that references to both the FTC and EPA information be included in Handbook 130 to ensure that retailers have all available E15 dispenser labeling information to meet federal regulations. The proposed revision includes requirements for both the EPA and FTC requirements for labeling. These revisions were moved to a voting item by NCWM Laws and Regulation committee.

UST Water Tolerance Level
Another item on the agenda was aimed at reducing the water tolerance level in USTs from 1 inch to ¼ inch. There are several studies currently underway related to water in diesel tanks. Issues were raised as to the benefits of trying to remove water less than 1 inch from a diesel tank. The item was withdrawn pending the results of these studies. PMAA is in the process of collecting additional information on this issue.

Skimming Devices
There were several presentations by the Florida Department of Agriculture and consumer services on their efforts on inspections and strategies to protect against skimming. In addition, Phillips 66 presented their anti-skimming toolkit which is provided to their fuel suppliers. The NCWM Specifications and Tolerances Committee reviewed a proposed revision for upgraded security measures on measuring devices such as fuel dispensers that would require an event logger to record certain information about each transaction. This was proposed as a development item and will be further developed in the coming months. There were substantial comments presented relative to this proposal; in particular related to the costs that may be incurred by petroleum marketers to upgrade their equipment to meet these requirements. PMAA will continue to follow this issue.