Utah County bids adieu to oxygenated fuel

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Utah Valley is finally free of oxygenated fuel — and motorists say it's about time.

"I'm glad it's gone, " said Jeff Horton of Eagle Mountain as he stood in line after fueling at the Top Stop Chevron station. "I just didn't like the cost."

"I don't know that it hurts the car's performance, but why buy gasoline here when it was 8 cents cheaper down the road? (in Salt Lake County)" said John Jackson.

Jack Loveless, who now lives in Saratoga Springs, blames oxygenated fuel he had to buy in Washington state for a $600 repair job on his Isuzu.

"It stripped the lining inside the engine and ruined the fuel pump," Loveless said, "It cost me a lot of money."

Others at the station said they hadn't been aware that oxygenated fuel was not coming back but said it was good news.

The additive — which is a 2.7 percent mix of ethanol in each gallon of gasoline — had been mandated in the fuels sold in Utah County between Nov. 1 and the end of February after the area violated federal air quality standards for carbon monoxide in 1991.

Although Utah County has not had a carbon monoxide violation since — and there's some debate even about the validity of the original violation — federal and state authorities refused to lift the mandate until this year.

County officials repeatedly pleaded for relief, arguing that newer cars were more fuel-efficient without the additive while pointing to the county's decade-old clean record.

The EPA has not officially signed off on the change but has agreed to non-enforcement this year because they expect the change to be formalized in March.

Gas stations and convenience store establishments like Top Stop have complained because motorists — especially those commuting regularly to Salt Lake County — displeased by the added cost were taking their business to stations outside Utah County when possible during the four months oxygenated fuel was stocked in the pumps.

Paul Ashton, president of the Petroleum Retailers Association, said, "Good riddance. It never did make sense."

Ashton said customers who tended to blame the gas station owners for their aggravation over the additive usually opted not to return once they changed where they purchased gasoline.

"It was almost like it was our fault," Ashton said. "It was so stupid. It's just crazy."

Ashton said not only did it hurt gas stations, it also hurt Utah County in general because people associated oxyfuel with the area.

Commissioner Jerry Grover said he doesn't believe oxygenated fuel ever made a difference in the air quality."I think it's a good thing (that it's gone)," he said Monday. "It probably never should have happened."

Mike Mower, spokesman for Provo city, is planning a "Festive Farewell to Oxygenated Fuels" party for Thursday evening at the November meeting of county mayors.

"Our goal is to let Utah County motorists know they don't need to buy gas outside the county line anymore during the winter months," Mower said.

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