Differences Between the US and the EU Fuel Regulation Policies: A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. RFG Program and the EU Auto Oil I Program

Sandrine Dixson-Declève

doi:10.4271/2000-01-1971

2000-06-19

Differences Between the US and the EU Fuel Regulation Policies: A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. RFG Program and the EU Auto Oil I Program 2000-01-1971

Policymakers across the globe are increasingly addressing traffic related air pollution and its impact on public health and the environment. When looking for a potential policy fix to air pollution created by transportation sources (mobile sources), governments have tended to base their policy options on changes in vehicle technology and fuel quality.

With regard to fuel quality issues, two key policy models are typically used across the globe. These are the:

U.S. Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and the mandated United States Federal Reformulated Gasoline Program
The European Union Auto Oil Programme and the resulting Fuels Directive 98/70/EEC

Although countries have opted or are opting for approaches similar to one or the other program based on national relevance from a political, economic, or industry perspective, no systematic or political analysis has been published comparing the EU and U.S. models regulating fuel quality.

This paper focuses on these two regulatory frameworks and demonstrates that, due to different air quality priorities and policy approaches, the resulting specifications ultimately established for automotive fuels are quite different in these two regions.

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Differences Between the US and the EU Fuel Regulation Policies: A Comparative Analysis of the U.S. RFG Program and the EU Auto Oil I Program 2000-01-1971

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