The Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s $1.65 million motor fuel and pesticide testing laboratory opened in 2008. By the fall of that year the lab was screening fuel from Kentucky gas stations and handling consumer complaints about bad gasoline.

“Because of the budget, this project is taking a little longer,” Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer said. “But the benefits to the people of the Commonwealth will be enormous. With fuel prices as high as they are, it’s essential to make sure that consumers get exactly what they pay for.”

Tom Bloemer, manager of the Weights and Measures Branch of the KDA Division of Regulation and Inspection, said in the fall of 2008 that staff was in place and the facility lacked only some additional instrumentation.

When it becomes fully operational, the lab will enhance the KDA’s ability to test motor fuel for quality and octane level. The lab also tests for the presence of methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), a fuel additive banned in Kentucky.

The state-of-the-art facility, located near Frankfort, was designed to include a biofuel

testing component. That will help KDA serve the Commonwealth’s rapidly growing ethanol and biodiesel industries.

The lab will also enable the KDA to more comprehensively support its pesticide regulatory programs by following up on complaints and analyzing environmental residues.

The Department checks motor fuel pumps for accuracy and tests fuel samples to prevent Kentucky from becoming a dumping ground for bad gas.

The KDA once sent its motor fuel samples to an out-of-state laboratory for testing. As the cost of the tests increased, the number of samples taken fell tenfold, to fewer than 600 a year, exposing the need for the new facility.

The lab will have a testing capacity of more than 20,000 samples a year – enough to more than adequately sample motor fuels in Kentucky and offer contract testing services to other agencies and states. Added revenue from contract services would significantly reduce the cost of testing samples to protect Kentucky consumers.