By Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly
(Reuters) -The White House is considering waiving U.S. gasoline environmental rules aimed at reducing summertime smog as a way to combat rising pump prices, according to three sources involved in the discussions.
Refiners and blenders are required to avoid lower-cost components like butane in summer gasoline, but the White House is weighing suspending that rule to help lower fuel costs. The components help elevate gasoline’s Reid vapor pressure, or RVP, which contributes to smog at higher levels, particularly in the hot summer months.
No final decision has been made, the sources said.
The Biden administration has already lifted the requirement for summer sales of E15, but the waiver under consideration would apply to all grades of gasoline, the sources said.
The White House did not immediately respond to request for comment.
The price of a gallon of regular gasoline has jumped 50% in the last year, to more than $4.59 on average nationally, according to the American Automobile Association.
Ten states and the District of Columbia are already paying more than $5 a gallon, with California’s statewide average surging to more than $6 a gallon.
(Reporting By Jarrett Renshaw and Stephanie Kelly; Editing by Richard Chang and David Gregorio)
