1:30 p.m. - Thursday, Sept. 1, 2005

ATLANTA - Georgia Department of Agriculture Commissioner Tommy Irvin said Aug. 31 that he would start the paperwork to allow Georgia to switch to higher vapor pressure gasoline 15 days early so the way will be cleared for any action needed by other state and federal agencies to prevent disruption of supplies caused from Hurricane Katrina.

Commissioner Irvin, as the states chief fuel inspector, issued an emergency rule change permitting the higher vapor pressure gasoline to be sold starting Thursday, Sept. 1 instead of Sept. 16.

The change can increase the production and alleviate some distribution supply problems, Commissioner Irvin said. You can produce more of the higher-vapor-pressure gas from a barrel of crude and a lot more quickly. Some suppliers start cutting back on their stockpiles of the lower-vapor-pressure the closer we get to the time to switch over, so you might experience some shortages in some spots in the marketplace this time of year.

Commissioner Irvin said the move would guarantee that the departments fuel regulations would not hamper any steps taken by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to respond to Governor Sonny Perdues request for a change in environmental standards for Metro Atlantas gasoline.

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