Upcoming Rulemaking for Refueling Equipment at Gas Stations

PSCAA is considering the proposed changes described on this page. The current rules are still in effect. Information about the existing rules can be found under our Gas Station FAQs and in Regulation II 2.07.

Read the Gas Station Refueling Equipment Review Executive Summary for more information.

Learn how this affects you and your business:

What is next in the rulemaking process?

We are currently in the Pre-Rulemaking Stakeholder Engagement: Gas Station Owner Surveys, Gas Station Equipment Installer/Tester Surveys & Workshops 2025 Q3-Q4 phase.

Online stakeholder meetings were held on October 30, 2025 and November 5, 2025. The presentation slides from these meetings may be viewed here.

Surveys for gas station owners and testers and installers will remain open through November 30, 2025. Following survey closure November 30, 2025, PSCAA staff will begin drafting rule updates.

How can I stay informed about the process?

You can sign up for our regulatory updates email list:

Questions?

Questions may be emailed to us:

The full staff report:

What type of pollutants are emitted from gas stations? How are those pollutants emitted and how are those pollutants controlled?

Gas stations release gasoline vapors including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and benzene. VOCs react with nitrogen oxides and sunlight to form ozone, which is a federally regulated criteria pollutant that can harm human health. Benzene is known to increase risk of cancer. Gasoline vapors can be released when the storage tanks at the gas station are filed, when cars and trucks fill up at the stations, and from the gas station’s storage tank vent due to changes in the gasoline liquid level and changes in temperature.

Stage I Vapor Recovery Control Systems (VRS) control the vapors that would be released during filling of the GDF storage tanks. Stage I VRS are required for installation on all GDFs in PSCAA jurisdiction with a gasoline storage tank of at least 1,000 gallons. PSCAA’s proposed rulemaking updates do not include any changes to Stage I VRS.

Stage II Vapor Recovery Control Systems (VRS) control the release of gasoline vapors during refueling. Certain Stage II and non-Stage II dispensing equipment also provides controls for spills during refueling and storage tank venting.

Stage II Vapor Recovery Control Systems (VRS) are designed to control VOC releases during the refueling of motor vehicles. During vehicle refueling, VOC, benzene, and other air toxics emitted from the vehicle’s gasoline tank are routed to the station’s storage tanks using special nozzles and coaxial hoses at the gasoline pump. This process takes the vapors that would otherwise be emitted directly into the atmosphere during refueling and recycles them back into the fuel storage tanks, preventing them from being released to the air.

Stage II VRS may be either a balance type system or a vacuum assist type system. The balance system relies on a tight seal of the nozzle against the vehicle’s fuel pipe lip so that gasoline may be transferred into the vehicle tank through a coaxial hose. The difference in pressure drives gasoline vapors back through the coaxial hose to the GDF storage tank. The vacuum assist system uses an electric pump to recovery vapors from the dispensing system to the GDF storage tank.

Why is PSCAA reviewing requirements for gas station equipment used to fuel vehicles?

Beginning in 1998, the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) required vehicle manufacturers to install onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) systems in vehicles. The ORVR systems are designed to reduce emissions of VOCs and toxics from the vehicle’s gasoline tank during refueling. Both onboard refueling vapor recovery (ORVR) and Stage II VRS are systems that capture gasoline emissions that would otherwise be emitted into the air from refueling.