Sponsor
Brian Jeffrey Mast
Representative · R-FL
Representative · R-FL
The bill reduces near-term fuel supply stress and compliance costs for the fuel industry and consumers by allowing higher-RVP gasoline for a limited period, but does so at the cost of poorer summertime air quality, higher health-related burdens, and a precedent for loosening air-quality protections.
Drivers and gasoline retailers can sell and use higher-RVP gasoline from May 1 to Sept 15, 2026, reducing supply disruptions and lowering the risk of summertime fuel price spikes for motorists and consumers.
Refiners and fuel distributors avoid the compliance costs and logistical burdens of supplying only low-RVP fuel during the waiver period, reducing operational costs for the fuel supply chain.
People in affected areas (urban and rural) will likely experience worse summertime air quality and increased ground-level ozone from higher-RVP gasoline, worsening respiratory health risks particularly for children, the elderly, and people with asthma.
Increased air pollution from the waiver could raise healthcare costs and cause more lost workdays for people with respiratory illnesses, imposing economic burdens on families, employers, and taxpayers.
Temporarily overriding Clean Air Act limits creates a precedent for future relaxations of air-quality protections, weakening regulatory predictability and potentially eroding long-term environmental safeguards.
Based on analysis of 1 section of legislative text.
Authorizes a one-time federal waiver allowing gasoline that exceeds the applicable RVP standard to be sold, transported, or introduced into commerce from May 1 through September 15, 2026.
Official title: To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to waive Reid Vapor Pressure requirements with respect to calendar year 2026, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 27, 2026 by Brian Jeffrey Mast · Last progress April 27, 2026
Waives the federal prohibition on selling gasoline that exceeds the applicable Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) standard for the period May 1, 2026 through September 15, 2026. The waiver temporarily allows higher-RVP gasoline to be sold, transported, or introduced into commerce during that summer period despite Clean Air Act limits, using the RVP standard defined in existing federal regulation.