State Vehicle Electrification Mandates and Federal Preemption
August 18, 2020
GOVERNING THE GASOLINE SPIGOT: GAS STATIONS AND THE TRANSITION AWAY FROM GASOLINE
January 18, 2021GOVERNING THE GASOLINE SPIGOT
A proposed gas station in the Village
of West Clay neighborhood in
Carmel is getting major push back
from people who live there.
Neighbors said that kind of
development just doesn’t belong there.
Photo by Michelle Pemberton/IndyStar
Prospect Park residents are calling on the City Council to reject
a new plan by a developer to build a gas station and convenience
store on residential property in their neighborhood
Photo by Carrington Tatum/MLK50
A group of residents are banding together to oppose a Costco
“mega gas station” project at the San Ramon/Danville border,
saying that such a project would bring noise, traffic and even
health risks to the area.
“Last thing people need is a gas station with 24 pumps going
on around the clock.”
Photo by Kenna Coe.
station construction The National Park Service lists Howell
Station Historic District in hits national register of historic places.
The neighborhood is located northwest of downtown Atlanta and,
according to the agency, is dominated by light industry associated
with development along Marietta Street.
Learn how 130,000 gasoline stations across the United States are fueling the climate crisis.
GAS STATIONS ARE FUELING THE CLIMATE CRISIS.
There are over 130,000 gas stations across the United States.
They are the last link in the chain connecting the oil field and the gas-powered vehicles on our streets.
Every gallon of gasoline sold adds 20 lbs of carbon dioxide to our atmosphere.
Collectively, Americans consumed 142 billion gallons of gasoline in 2019, producing 1.42 billion tons of CO2.
THE RESEARCH
GOVERNING THE GASOLINE SPIGOT: GAS STATION REGULATION AND THE TRANSITION AWAY FROM GASOLINE EXPLORES QUESTIONS OF HOW AGING INFRASTRUCTURE AND GAS STATION CONTAMINATION SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AND MAPS A REGULATORY PATH FORWARD TO CREATE A SMALLER, CLEANER NETWORK OF GAS STATIONS.
CURRENT BACKLOG OF LEAKING UNDERGROUND STORAGE TANKS AWAITING CLEANUP:
63,677
Gas Stations Are Fueling The Climate Crisis, Polluting Our Communities, And Poisoning Our Health
A TYPICAL GAS STATION CAN SPILL UP TO 100 GALLONS OF GASOLINE ANNUALLY.
THE AVERAGE AGE OF AN UNDERGROUND GASOLINE STORAGE TANK IN THE U.S. IS 22.6 YEARS OLD.
PUMPING GASOLINE EMITS BENZENE, A KNOWN CARCINOGEN WITH NO SAFE EXPOSURE LEVEL.
Small spills and leaks in the course of everyday fueling can add up to anywhere from 70 to 100 gallons of spilled gasoline for every 1 million gallons sold.
A 10-gallon spill of petroleum can contaminate 12 million gallons of groundwater.
Gas station operators have little incentive to clean up leaks and spills.
Abandoned and contaminated gas stations account for roughly half of America’s 450,000 brownfields. As electric vehicles become more common and demand for gasoline shrinks, abandoned gas stations may become more common.
The lifespan for safe use of an underground storage tank (UST) for gasoline is 25-30 years. Modern storage tanks include a second wall to prevent leaks.
Roughly half of USTs and piping systems currently in use are either past the age of safe use or are single walled.
In the course of everyday use, gas stations release toxic vapors into our air and contaminate our soil and groundwater through spills and chemical runoff.
Gasoline vapors emitted during pumping contain benzene, a known carcinogen linked to hormonal disorders, fertility issues, lung cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and several forms of leukemia. The WHO maintains there is no safe level of benzene exposure.
Children Living Next To A Gas Station Are At 8x Higher Risk Of Developing Leukemia
WHAT CAN WE DO?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CLEANING UP CONTAMINATION
WHO SHOULD BEAR THE COSTS OF CLEANING UP THE GROWING NUMBER OF ABANDONED AND CONTAMINATED GAS STATIONS, WHICH NOW ACCOUNT FOR ROUGHLY ONE-HALF OF AMERICA’S 450,000 BROWNFIELDS?
IF A GAS STATION OWNER OR OPERATOR IS REQUIRED TO CLEAN UP CONTAMINATION, WHAT ARE TYPICAL COSTS, AND WHO PAYS FOR THEM? TO WHAT EXTENT DOES INSURANCE COVER CLEANUP COSTS? WILL CLEANUP DRIVE THE GAS STATION OWNER/OPERATOR OUT OF BUSINESS?
IF A GAS STATION GOES OUT OF BUSINESS, HOW LONG DOES IT TYPICALLY TAKE TO CLEAN UP AND REDEVELOP IT INTO ANOTHER?
ARE FORMER GAS STATIONS SAFE FOR REDEVELOPMENT FOR ANY PURPOSE, INCLUDING HOUSING, ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ETC?
THE FUTURE OF GAS STATIONS
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO PEOPLE WHO OWN AND OPERATE GAS STATIONS AND THEIR EMPLOYEES IF STRONGER HEALTH, SAFETY, AND ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ARE PUT IN PLACE?
CAN GAS STATIONS JUST BECOME EV CHARGING STATIONS?
THE ROLE OF CITIES AND STATES
IF A GAS STATION GOES OUT OF BUSINESS, WHAT IS THE IMPACT TO A CITY’S REVENUES FROM GASOLINE SALES?
HOW SHOULD STATES ADDRESS AGING STORAGE TANKS?
SHOULD STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SEEK TO DECREASE THE NUMBER OF GAS STATIONS IN THEIR JURISDICTION AS A CARBON REDUCTION STRATEGY? DOES LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THE FLOW OF INEXPENSIVE GASOLINE?
Governing the Gasoline Spigot: Gas station regulation and the transition away from gasoline explores questions of how aging infrastructure and gas station contamination should be addressed and maps a regulatory path forward to create a smaller, cleaner network of gas stations.
LISTEN TO MATTHEW AND JANELLE DISCUSS THE ARTICLE ON THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW INSTITUTE’S “PEOPLE PLACES PLANET” PODCAST:
