Oil Watchdog

A nationwide group of measurement experts Wednesday rejected a
proposal that consumer groups said would help end a gas-pump inequity
that costs Californians millions of dollars a year.

The proposal took aim at the so-called hot fuel phenomenon.
Gasoline expands in volume as temperature rises, but because U.S.
gasoline pumps don’t take temperature into account, motorists who buy
gas that’s hotter than the government-standard 60 degrees get less
energy in each gallon.

The matter was the subject of intense debate Wednesday in Salt
Lake City, where a group of government experts considered whether to
endorse ground rules for gas station operators who opt to install
devices that compensate for temperature fluctuations.

Most members of the National Conference on Weights and
Measures, a group made up of state and county experts, voted in favor
of the hot fuel proposal. But the "yes" tally fell short of the group’s
requirements for passage.

The outcome was a victory for oil companies and gas retailers
who opposed the voluntary guidelines and fought hard to derail the
vote. They have argued that installing temperature compensation devices
would be costly and provide little benefit to people buying gas.

"This is a defeat for consumers and for the economy," said Rep.
Dennis J. Kucinich (D-Ohio), who hosted a congressional hearing on the
topic last month.

The disappointment was echoed by Judy Dugan of the Santa
Monica-based Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, which
estimated that hot fuel costs Californians an extra 3 cents per gallon.

"California is the hot fuel capital of the world, and its
motorists lose more money than in any other state," Dugan said. "The
science of hot fuel is simple and the loss to consumers is undeniable.
Lawmakers have to stand up to oil industry pressure and do what’s right
for motorists."

The National Conference on Weights and Measures is a powerful
player in the debate because it lays out specific rules that states
almost always adopt to govern how fuel and other goods are sold and
measured. The group gathers once a year to vote on suggested changes.

Michael Cleary, chairman of this year’s conference, said the proposal could be resurrected at a future meeting.

"A lot of people have been kind of overwhelmed by all of this…
but this thing isn’t going to go away," said Cleary, an official with
California’s Division of Measurement Standards. The California
delegation, along with representatives from the South and other Western
states, were the biggest proponents of the proposal.

Cleary said inaction by the conference did not prevent
California from moving forward on the issue. "If something isn’t
specifically prohibited in law, then it is permitted. So there’s
nothing prohibiting the oil companies from installing this equipment in
California tomorrow. It’s just that the division of measurement would
have to very quickly come up with a uniform methodology to test the
equipment… and they could easily do that."

Last year, California certified a temperature-correcting device
that could be used at gas stations. The North Carolina manufacturer,
Gilbarco Veeder-Root, said it had received no orders.

In Canada, where the colder weather benefits drivers, gas
stations have been quick to install temperature compensation units that
eliminate motorists’ cold-weather advantage.
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