02/05/07 Good Fuel

Good report on fuel. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. Northwest motorists should feel pretty good about the quality of gasoline they are getting throughout the state. Routine inspections conducted by the Oregon Department of Agriculture in 2006 indicate very few problems when it comes to motor fuel quality issues like octane levels, according to Clark Cooney of ODA`s Measurement Standards Division: COONEY: I`d say motorists are doing very well with the quality of gasoline in the state of Oregon. So far it has proved out in the numbers we are seeing. There`s about a 99 and a half percent compliance rate with the gasoline that we have seen in 2006. Last year, ODA inspectors looked at more than 24-hundred screenings of gasoline sold in Oregon, and found only 14 that failed the standards for octane- meaning they did not meet the octane levels posted at the pump. Cooney disagrees with those who think there doesn`t need to be an inspection program when there isn`t much of a problem. He says it acts as a deterrent: COONEY: We don`t seem to see a problem because we have a program in place and because we routinely look at the stations, we check the quality of the fuel, and we do so on an unannounced basis. ODA inspectors also look for water in gasoline storage tanks. Last year, 690 tanks had water but only 25 had exceeded the allowable amount. Still, consumers are encouraged to contact the Measurement Standards Division if they have a motor fuel quality complaint. Cooney says the motor fuel quality inspection program is more important than ever, given how much it costs these days to fill er` up: COONEY: As the price of the fuel goes up, it becomes more and more critical that fuel quality is assured so that consumers and businesses are truly getting what they are paying for. Cooney says despite the relatively few problems Oregon has with motor fuel quality, ODA inspectors want to know about any potential problems: COONEY: If consumers have a concern about the quality of their gasoline or their diesel fuel, I strongly encourage them to contact our office as soon as possible. The sooner we can respond to a consumer complaint, the better chance there is that we are actually going to be able to get a sample of the fuel as the customer purchased. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.