Civil Enforcement

• Overview
• Results to Date
• Table 1
• Table 2

Overview

The Agency’s Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) fuel program is EPA’s most ambitious strategy to reduce emissions from diesel-powered vehicles. For more information on the ULSD program, visit the EPA’s website on diesel fuels.

Under the ULSD regulations, a minimum of 80 percent of the diesel fuel produced for highway vehicles must be ULSD with a maximum sulfur content of 15 parts per million (ppm), while the remaining 20 percent may be low sulfur diesel fuel (LSD) with a maximum sulfur content of 500 ppm. However, beginning June 1, 2010, all highway diesel fuel must be ULSD. Pumps used to dispense diesel fuel into motor vehicles must be labeled as to the type of diesel fuel being dispensed. The 80 percent ULSD production requirement is intended to ensure that ULSD is available for use in model year 2007 and newer diesel vehicles, which require use of ULSD.

The table and graphs on this page contain summary results from surveys of ULSD sold in the United States beginning in 2006. These are a series of quarterly nationwide surveys of retail stations selling diesel fuel for use in highway motor vehicles. The surveys are conducted by an independent survey organization, funded by refiners, importers and distributors of diesel fuel. The ULSD surveys are based on diesel fuel samples collected from retail stations in urban and rural areas, and along transportation corridors. The samples are randomly selected using procedures intended to ensure the survey results are statistically valid. Diesel fuel samples collected under the survey are analyzed for sulfur content. The ULSD surveys began in September, 2006, when the ULSD requirements first applied to retail stations.

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Results to Date

The ULSD survey results indicate that, overall, the ULSD availability and sulfur content goals of the ULSD program are being achieved. Over 94 percent of diesel fuel sold in the United States is ULSD, well above the 80 percent required minimum.

The average sulfur content of diesel fuel sold as ULSD is also well below the 15 ppm maximum; it was 10.6 ppm during the first survey period in 2006, and 7.7 ppm during the most recent survey during the third quarter of 2007.

The surveys show a very high compliance rate with the ULSD standard; the percent of stations selling ULSD with a sulfur content that met the ULSD standard was 97.8 percent in 2006, and was over99 percent for the third quarter of 2007 survey.

One area of concern at the beginning of the ULSD program was the percentage of stations selling diesel fuel from pumps that were not properly labeled as to the type of diesel fuel being dispensed. In 2006, 11.5 percent of the diesel fuel pumps were not labeled, 40.8 percent were labeled as dispensing LSD, and 47.7 percent were labeled as dispensing USLD. However, these pump labeling statistics significantly improved by the third quarter of 2007 survey, when 5.4 percent of the diesel pumps were not labeled, 9.3 percent were labeled as dispensing LSD, and 85.3 percent were labeled as dispensing USLD.

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Table 1: Results of the consortium ULSD surveys September 2006 through the third quarter of 2007

	Number of Pumps Sampled	Pumps Not Labeled	Pumps Not Labeled Dispensing ULSD	Pumps Labeled LSD	Pumps Labeled LSD Dispensing ULSD	Pumps Labeled ULSD	Average Sulfur Content of Pumps Labeled ULSD (ppm)	Pumps Labeled ULSD that did Not meet the ULSD Sulfur Standard	Overall Percentage of Pumps Dispensing ULSD
4Q2006 (plus September)	1,571	11.5%	9.6%	40.8%	29.7%	47.7%	10.6	2.2%	85.0%
1Q2007	1,569	9.6%	8.2%	22.8%	16.3%	67.2%	7.2	1.0%	91.0%
2Q2007	1,550	7.0%	6.3%	15.2%	8.4%	77.9%	7.0	1.0%	91.7%
3Q2007	1,631	5.4%	4.7%	9.3%	5.5%	85.3%	7.7	0.86%	94.7%

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Table 2: Diesel Pump Labeling & Fuel Quality

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