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    Get ready to pay more for gas this summer in Denver

    by: Andrea Henderson

    Posted: May 28, 2024 / 04:41 PM MDT

    Updated: May 28, 2024 / 05:17 PM MDT

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    DENVER (KDVR) — Starting June 1, the Environmental Protection Agency will require reformulated gasoline sales in the Denver area. This is because the EPA downgraded the Front Range metro area as a “severe” violator of ozone pollution standards set by the Clean Air Act.

    “Every part per billion in the air quality improvements that we can make will make a difference in the air that people breathe each and every day,” said Adrienne Sandoval, EPA Air and Radiation Division director.

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    The reformulated gas burns cleaner and releases fewer toxic emissions. Fuel vapor contributes to unhealthy ground-level ozone and smog — something the EPA is trying to curb in the Denver area.

    “It’s a denser fuel that has less evaporation and therefore less emissions associated with it,” Sandoval said.

    Reformulated fuel is more expensive to make, though, and some of that expense will be passed down to the consumer. The EPA predicts 3 to 5 cents extra per gallon, but experts in the petroleum industry expect the cost to be much higher.

    “Twenty-five to 30 cents is probably the best we could probably hope for as an industry,” said Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association. “If there’s any sort of supply disruptions though it could very easily go to 60 cents, 70 cents.”

    In April, Gov. Jared Polis sent a letter to the EPA asking to waive the requirement for reformulated gas, but his request was denied. In April, U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo pressed President Joe Biden to grant Colorado a waiver for the fuel. In a statement, the governor’s office said:

    “Governor Polis is committed to saving Coloradans money from lowering housing costs to saving money at the pump. Governor Polis has expressed his deep concern that EPA has not yet granted a waiver, and Coloradans could see higher gas prices without major improvements to air quality and he continues to advocate for Coloradans to ensure we do not see extreme price hikes and protect disproportionately impacted communities.”  

    According to the EPA, reformulated gas will be required from June 1 to Sept. 15 every year until air quality meets the national standard.