Obama EPA wants to add more cost to gasoline

Houston Chronicle:

With rising gasoline prices fueling election-year political rhetoric, the Obama administration is accelerating moves it can paint as energy-friendly while putting the brakes on some environmental initiatives that opponents could blame for raising costs.

Among the stalled proposals is a requirement that refiners make gasoline that emits 67 percent less sulfur - 10 parts per million down from the 30 ppm permitted now.

That Environmental Protection Agency rule eventually could add 6 to 9 cents per gallon to refiners' gasoline manufacturing costs, with at least some of that passed on to consumers, according to an American Petroleum Institute analysis.

The EPA's timetable for imposing new greenhouse gas emission limits on refineries also has slipped beyond this year, though the agency rolled out its proposal for similar mandates on power plants on Tuesday.

And on Wednesday, the Interior Department touted the first step toward allowing seismic research that eventually could lead to drilling off the East Coast - the latest in a series of high-profile nods to voters who favor expanding domestic oil and gas exploration.

The White House may be hoping to win political points in an election year - or at least stave off some criticism that its policies are contributing to rising gas prices - but so far, it appears the administration isn't satisfying anybody.

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It is ridiculous that they are just now allowing seismic work off the East Coast.  There is no good reason for the delay, other than not wanting drilling which seems to be their policy and only now as they are being hammered for their strangling of domestic production do they eke out this change.

The EPA requirement is being delayed until after the election to avoid criticism on that front, but if Obama is reelected you can expect he and the EPA to continue to push up cost.