WASHINGTON WATCH'Hot Fuel' Rip-off:
Consumers Pay for Air
Consumers Pay for Air
Although home-grown technology to adjust fuel
purchases for varying temperatures exists, it isn't used for
retail purchases of fuel in the U.S.
Photo: National Conference on Weights and MeasuresIf fuel prices already are high enough, how do you feel about paying those prices for hot air? Fourteen members of Congress have told the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), a regulatory group, that it's time to deal with the unacceptable practice of selling consumers fuel that is not adjusted for ambient temperature. The regulatory group - whose membership is described as industry representatives and state weights-and-measures officials - produces model codes for states to adopt. It has debated the issue for more than 30 years, without resolution. At its recent annual meeting, a vote was scheduled on a new standard that would require retrofitting pumps to adjust volume for temperature. States would then be free to adopt the standard. Because of deliberate abstentions, the NCWM vote fell short of the minimum majority needed. Thus, despite the weight of expert regulatory opinion, no action was taken. There is no reason to allow refiners, distributors and retailers to use one measure of a gallon for themselves, and a lesser measure for consumers."
- Judy Dugan, FTCR research director The oil industry opposes the standard, saying it would cost too much to fix the problem. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a group representing the major oil companies, argues that the cost to retrofit pumps with available technology - approximately three cents per gallon - is too much of a burden for their members, and that consumers wouldn't get any net benefit in the end. Inflating oil industry 'ghost' profits Consumer advocacy groups like the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) say that "hot fuel" is nothing less than a motorist rip-off. "The issue is not just whether most motorists can afford the $100 or so a year that 'hot fuel' costs them as individuals, but whether gasoline is sold honestly," says Judy Dugan, FTCR research director. "If you saw your grocer behind the counter with his thumb on the scale, would you shop at that store again? Unfortunately, we don't have the choice with fuel. It's up to our elected officials to fix it." 'Hot Fuel' PhysicsFuel expands and contracts depending on temperature. Gasoline volume, for example, changes approximately 0.058 percent for every
Photo: National Conference on Weights and MeasuresIf fuel prices already are high enough, how do you feel about paying those prices for hot air? Fourteen members of Congress have told the National Conference on Weights and Measures (NCWM), a regulatory group, that it's time to deal with the unacceptable practice of selling consumers fuel that is not adjusted for ambient temperature. The regulatory group - whose membership is described as industry representatives and state weights-and-measures officials - produces model codes for states to adopt. It has debated the issue for more than 30 years, without resolution. At its recent annual meeting, a vote was scheduled on a new standard that would require retrofitting pumps to adjust volume for temperature. States would then be free to adopt the standard. Because of deliberate abstentions, the NCWM vote fell short of the minimum majority needed. Thus, despite the weight of expert regulatory opinion, no action was taken. There is no reason to allow refiners, distributors and retailers to use one measure of a gallon for themselves, and a lesser measure for consumers."
- Judy Dugan, FTCR research director The oil industry opposes the standard, saying it would cost too much to fix the problem. The American Petroleum Institute (API), a group representing the major oil companies, argues that the cost to retrofit pumps with available technology - approximately three cents per gallon - is too much of a burden for their members, and that consumers wouldn't get any net benefit in the end. Inflating oil industry 'ghost' profits Consumer advocacy groups like the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (FTCR) say that "hot fuel" is nothing less than a motorist rip-off. "The issue is not just whether most motorists can afford the $100 or so a year that 'hot fuel' costs them as individuals, but whether gasoline is sold honestly," says Judy Dugan, FTCR research director. "If you saw your grocer behind the counter with his thumb on the scale, would you shop at that store again? Unfortunately, we don't have the choice with fuel. It's up to our elected officials to fix it." 'Hot Fuel' PhysicsFuel expands and contracts depending on temperature. Gasoline volume, for example, changes approximately 0.058 percent for every
