EPA Renews Texas Emergency Diesel Waiver Through November 13 for Older Vehicles and Equipment
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to its official fuel waivers page, has renewed a temporary emergency diesel waiver at the request of the State of Texas, in consultation with the U.S. Department of Energy and in accordance with the Clean Air Act, to prevent extreme and unusual fuel supply disruptions affecting diesel supply within Texas. The renewed waiver runs through November 13, 2026, the maximum 20 days allowed under the Clean Air Act. EPA first issued the waiver for the same supply disruption on October 5, with an original expiration of October 24.
The waiver temporarily lifts the federal State Implementation Plan's Texas Low Emissions Diesel (TXLED) standards and the ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD, 15 ppm sulfur) requirements, allowing the use of higher-sulfur diesel in certain older diesel vehicles and nonroad equipment originally designed and certified for that fuel. EPA's October 5 waiver letter states that diesel covered by the waiver may contain up to 500 ppm sulfur. Newer vehicles and engines that require ULSD are not covered and must continue using ultra-low sulfur diesel to avoid damage to emissions-control equipment.
EPA said it will continue monitoring supply conditions with state and industry partners and stands ready to extend the waiver if warranted. At the state level, Texas Governor Greg Abbott previously issued a statewide disaster proclamation suspending state restrictions on the highway use of dyed diesel in response to the tight fuel supply. The Texas action is one of several recent federal and state diesel relief measures: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has issued temporary penalty relief on reporting and recordkeeping for taxable dyed-diesel use, and West Virginia and Ohio have adopted state-level emergency measures on dyed diesel for highway use.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：柴油加注（资料图；Santeri Viinamäki 摄，Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA）
