A malfunctioning meter at a south-side gasoline storage terminal caused excessive ethanol to be delivered to five gasoline stations in Tucson and one in Bisbee in late June and early July, state regulators said.
The Arizona Department of Weights and Measures said it has sent notices of violations of state standards, and fines of $500 to $1,000, to all but one station, and is working on a sixth violation notice. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, which owns the terminal, is under investigation in the case, said Kevin Tyne, the department's director.
A spokesman for the owner of three of the gasoline stations, Western Refining Southwest Inc., said the company will pay a fine. Owners of the other stations and Kinder Morgan either said they don't know how they'll respond or couldn't be reached for comment.
In routine inspections during late June and early July, state inspectors found that the six stations were selling mid-grade and premium gasoline containing up to 14 percent ethanol, compared with federal and state limits of 10 percent.
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Until those inspections, it had not found any stations selling gasoline with excessive ethanol levels all year, said Shawn Marquez, the department's compliance programs director.
Prolonged use of ethanol at excessive levels can cause engines to run improperly and pollute more, the state said.
First, it can damage rubber hoses, gaskets and engine parts, Marquez said. Second, it can overload oxygen-sensing equipment, which could lead to it burning more gasoline, said Duane Yantorno, the department's director of transportation fuels.
"If the car is not running correctly, it is going to pollute more," Marquez said.
Kinder Morgan spokesman Joe Hollier, however, said that as far he knows, ethanol at the levels found in this gasoline doesn't harm a vehicle.
"If you went extremely high, maybe" the ethanol could cause damage, Hollier said.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is considering raising the gasoline ethanol limit to 15 percent. The EPA, which had been expected to decide by this month if U.S. car engines can handle that, recently delayed a decision until this fall. It said initial tests "look good," the Associated Press reported.
The ethanol industry says the 15 percent blend will not hurt engine performance, while the refining industry, small engine manufacturers and some environmental groups have argued against an increase.
After the excessive ethanol levels were found at the gas stations, state inspectors tracked the non-compliant fuel to the Kinder-Morgan terminal at 3841 E. Refinery Way, Then the meter was repaired, and at each station fuel lines were purged and gasoline that met the state standards was put into them.
Kinder-Morgan and Weights and Measures officials said they don't know how long the stations had previously been receiving excessive ethanol. About three or four truckloads of gas with too much ethanol were delivered to the stations, state officials said.
Where they are
Stations that sold gasoline with excessive ethanol, according to state regulators:
• Conoco Giant, 4180 W. Ina Road.
• Diamond Shamrock, 6310 E. Golf Links Road.
• Giant, 7810 N. SIlverbell Road.
• Conoco Giant, 10505 N. Oracle Road.
• AM-PM, 2790 W. Ruthrauff Road.
• Express Stop, 101 Arizona St., Bisbee.
Contact reporter Tony Davis at tdavis@azstarnet.com or 806-7746.