California Code of Regulations
Title 13 - Motor Vehicles
Division 3 - Air Resources Board
Chapter 5 - Standards for Motor Vehicle Fuels
Article 2 - Standards for Diesel Fuel
Section 2281 - Sulfur Content of Diesel Fuel

Universal Citation: 13 CA Code of Regs 2281

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 38, September 20, 2024

(a) Regulatory Standard.

(1) 500 parts per million sulfur standard. On or after October 1, 1993, no person shall sell, offer for sale, or supply any vehicular diesel fuel which has a sulfur content exceeding 500 parts per million by weight. Once the 15 parts per million sulfur content standard becomes applicable to an activity in accordance with the phase-in schedule in subsection (a)(3), the 500 parts per million sulfur content standard shall no longer apply to that activity.

(2) 15 parts per million sulfur standard. Starting June 2006 in accordance with the phase-in schedule in subsection (a)(3), no person shall sell, offer for sale, supply or offer for supply any vehicular diesel fuel having a sulfur content exceeding 15 parts per million by weight.

(3) 2006 phase-in schedule. The 15 parts per million sulfur standard in section (a)(2) shall apply in place of the 500 parts per million sulfur standard in section (a)(1):
(A) Starting June 1, 2006 to all sales, supplies or offers of vehicular diesel fuel from the production facility or import facility at which it was produced or imported.

(B) Starting July 15, 2006 to all sales, supplies, or offers of vehicular diesel fuel except for transactions directly involving:
1. The fueling of motor vehicles at a retail outlet or bulk purchaser-consumer facility, or

2. The delivery of vehicular diesel fuel from a bulk plant to a retail outlet or purchaser-consumer facility.

(C) Starting September 1, 2006 to all sales, supplies, offers or movements of vehicular diesel, including transactions directly involving the fueling of motor vehicles at a retail outlet or bulk purchaser-consumer facility.

(4) Phase-in of 2006 standard at low-throughput facilities. The 15 parts per million sulfur standard in section (a)(2) shall not apply to transactions directly involving the fueling of motor vehicles at a retail outlet or bulk purchaser-consumer facility, where the person selling, offering, or supplying the diesel fuel demonstrates as an affirmative defense that the exceedance of the pertinent standard was caused by diesel fuel delivered to the retail outlet or bulk purchaser-consumer facility prior to July 15, 2006, or delivered to the retail outlet or bulk purchaser-consumer facility directly from a bulk plant prior to September 1, 2006.

(5) Applicability of standards to California nonvehicular diesel fuel.
(A) Activities involving California nonvehicular diesel fuel (other than diesel fuel offered, sold or supplied solely for use in locomotives or marine vessels) are also subject to this section to the extent required by section 93114, title 17, California Code of Regulations. As adopted, section 93114 requires each air pollution control or air quality management district by December 12, 2004 to treat this section 2281 as applying to California nonvehicular diesel fuel (other than diesel fuel offered, sold or supplied solely for use in locomotives or marine vessels) as if it were vehicular diesel fuel, and to enforce those requirements regarding California nonvehicular diesel fuel, unless the district has proposed its own airborne toxic control measure to reduce particulate emissions from diesel-fueled engines through standards for nonvehicular diesel fuel.

(B) Activities involving California nonvehicular diesel fuel used in harborcraft and most diesel-electric intrastate locomotives are also subject to this section 2281 as if the fuel were vehicular diesel fuel, to the extent required by section 2299, title 13, California Code of Regulations, and section 93117, title 17, California Code of Regulations. As adopted, these regulations make nonvehicular diesel fuel used in most harborcraft in the South Coast Air Quality Management District subject to the requirements of this section 2281 starting January 1, 2006, and make all California nonvehicular diesel fuel used in most harborcraft and diesel-electric intrastate locomotives subject to this section 2281 starting January 1, 2007.

(6) Subsections (a)(1) and (2) shall not apply to a sale, offer for sale, or supply of diesel fuel to a refiner where the refiner further processes the diesel fuel at the refiner's refinery, prior to any subsequent sale, offer for sale, or supply of the diesel fuel.

(b) Definitions.

For the purposes of this section:

(0.2) "Bulk purchaser-consumer" means a person that purchases or otherwise obtains diesel fuel in bulk and then dispenses it into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles owned or operated by the person.

(0.5) "Bulk plant" means an intermediate diesel fuel distribution facility where delivery of diesel fuel to and from the facility is solely by truck.

(0.8) "California nonvehicular diesel fuel" means any diesel fuel that is not vehicular diesel fuel and that is sold or made available for use in engines in California.

(1) "Diesel fuel" means any fuel that is commonly or commercially known, sold or represented as diesel fuel, including any mixture of primarily liquid hydrocarbons -- organic compounds consisting exclusively of the elements carbon and hydrogen -- that is sold or represented as suitable for use in an internal combustion, compression-ignition engine.

(2) "Executive Officer" means the executive officer of the Air Resources Board, or his or her designee.

(3) "Further process" means to perform any activity on diesel fuel, including distillation, desulfurization, or blending, for the purpose of bringing the diesel fuel into compliance with the standard in subsection (a)(1).

(3.5) "Marine vessel" has the meaning set forth in section 39037.1 of the Health and Safety Code.

(4) "Motor vehicle" has the same meaning as defined in section 415 of the Vehicle Code.

(5) "Produce" means to convert liquid compounds which are not diesel fuel into diesel fuel.

(6) "Producer" means any person who produces vehicular diesel fuel in California.

(7) "Refiner" means any person who owns, leases, operates, controls or supervises a refinery.

(8) "Refinery" means a facility that produces liquid fuels by distilling petroleum.

(9) "Small refiner" means any refiner who owns or operates a refinery in California that:
(A) Has and at all times had since January 1, 1978, a crude oil capacity of not more than 50,000 barrels per stream day;

(B) Has not been at any time since September 1, 1988, owned or controlled by any refiner that at the same time owned or controlled refineries in California with a total combined crude oil capacity of more than 50,000 barrels per stream day; and

(C) Has not been at any time since September 1, 1988, owned or controlled by any refiner that at the same time owned or controlled refineries in the United States with a total combined crude oil capacity of more than 137,500 barrels per stream day.

(10) "Stream day" means 24 consecutive hours of actual operation of a refinery.

(11) "Supply" means to provide or transfer a product to a physically separate facility, vehicle, or transportation system.

(12) "Vehicular diesel fuel" means any diesel fuel (A) which is not conspicuously identified as a fuel which may not lawfully be dispensed into motor vehicle fuel tanks in California; or (B) which the person selling, offering for sale, or supplying the diesel fuel knows will be dispensed into motor vehicle fuel tanks in California; or (C) which the person selling, offering for sale, or supplying the diesel fuel in the exercise of reasonable prudence should know will be dispensed into motor vehicle fuel tanks in California, and that is not the subject of a declaration under penalty of perjury by the purchaser, offeree or recipient stating that s/he will not sell, offer for sale, or transfer the fuel for dispensing, or dispense the fuel, into motor vehicle fuel tanks in California.

(c) Test Method.

(1) Test Method for 500 ppm sulfur standard. The sulfur content of diesel fuel limitation of 500 parts per million specified in subsection (a)(1) shall be determined by ASTM Test Method D 2622-94, which is incorporated herein by reference, or any other test method determined by the executive officer to give equivalent results.

(2) Test Method for 15 ppm sulfur standard. The sulfur content of diesel fuel limitation of 15 parts per million specified in subsection (a)(2) shall be determined by ASTM Test Method D 5453-93, which is incorporated herein by reference, or any other test method determined by the executive officer to give equivalent results.

(d) Presumed Sulfur Content of Diesel Fuel Represented As Being for Nonvehicular Use.

(1) All diesel fuel which has been identified or represented as a fuel which may not be dispensed into motor vehicles in California, and which would otherwise be subject to the 500 parts per million by weight sulfur content standard in subsection (a)(1), shall be deemed to have a sulfur content exceeding 500 parts per million by weight, as determined by a test method identified in subsection (c)(1), unless the fuel is tested in accordance with a method identified in subsection (c)(1) and is shown to have a sulfur content of 500 parts per million by weight or less.

(2) All diesel fuel which has been identified or represented as a fuel which may not be dispensed into motor vehicles in California, and which would otherwise be subject to the 15 parts per million by weight sulfur content standard in subsection (a)(2), shall be deemed to have a sulfur content exceeding 15 parts per million by weight, as determined by a test method identified in subsection (c)(2), unless the fuel is tested in accordance with a method identified in subsection (c)(2) and is shown to have a sulfur content of 15 parts per million by weight or less.

(e) Variances.

(1) Any person who cannot comply with the requirements set forth in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable because of reasons beyond the person's reasonable control may apply to the executive officer for a variance. The application shall set forth:
(A) the specific grounds upon which the variance is sought;

(B) the proposed date(s) by which compliance with the provisions of subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) will be achieved; and

(C) a plan reasonably detailing the method by which compliance will be achieved.

(2) Upon receipt of an application for a variance containing the information required in subsection (e)(1), the executive officer shall hold a hearing to determine whether, or under what conditions and to what extent, a variance from the requirements in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable is necessary and will be permitted. Notice of the time and place of the hearing shall be sent to the applicant by certified mail not less than 20 days prior to the hearing. Notice of the hearing shall also be submitted for publication in the California Regulatory Notice Register and sent to every person who requests such notice, not less than 20 days prior to the hearing.

(3) At least 20 days prior to the hearing, the application for the variance shall be made available to the public for inspection. Interested members of the public shall be allowed a reasonable opportunity to testify at the hearing and their testimony shall be considered.

(4) No variance shall be granted unless all of the following findings are made:
(A) that, because of reasons beyond the reasonable control of the applicant, requiring compliance with subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable would result in an extraordinary economic hardship;

(B) that the public interest in mitigating the extraordinary hardship to the applicant by issuing the variance outweighs the public interest in avoiding any increased emissions of air contaminants which would result from issuing the variance.

(C) that the compliance plan proposed by the applicant can reasonably be implemented and will achieve compliance as expeditiously as possible.

(5) Any variance order shall specify a final compliance date by which the requirements in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable will be achieved. Any variance order shall also contain a condition that specified increments of progress necessary to assure timely compliance be achieved, and such other conditions, including limitations on the sulfur content of diesel fuel produced for use in motor vehicles, that the executive officer, as a result of the testimony received at the hearing, finds necessary to carry out the purposes of division 26 of the Health and Safety Code.

(6) The executive officer may require, as a condition of granting a variance, that a cash bond, or a bond executed by two or more good and sufficient sureties or by a corporate surety, be posted by the party to whom the variance was granted to assure performance of any construction, alteration, repair, or other work required by the terms and conditions of the variance. Such bond may providethat, if the party granted the variance fails to perform such work by the agreed date, the cash bond shall be forfeited to the state board, or the corporate surety or sureties shall have the option of promptly remedying the variance default or paying to the state board an amount, up to the amount specified in the bond, that is necessary to accomplish the work specified as a condition of the variance.

(7) No variance from the requirements set forth in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable based on a plan for compliance which includes the installation of major additional equipment shall be issued to a producer where installation of the equipment was not included in a compliance plan or first update submitted pursuant to subsection (f). No such variance shall have a duration of more than three years.

(8) No variance which is issued due to conditions of breakdown, repair, or malfunction of equipment shall have a duration, including extensions, of more than six months.

(9) The executive officer may, after holding a hearing without complying with the provisions of subsections (e)(2) and (e)(3), issue an emergency variance to a person from the requirements of subsections (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable upon a showing of reasonably unforeseeable extraordinary hardship and good cause that a variance is necessary. In connection with the issuance of an emergency variance, the executive officer may waive the requirements of subsection (e)(6). No emergency variance may extend for a period of more than 45 days. If the applicant for an emergency variance does not demonstrate that he or she can comply with the provisions of subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable within such 45-day period, an emergency variance shall not be granted unless the applicant makes a prima facie demonstration that the findings set forth in subsection (e)(4) should be made. The executive officer shall maintain a list of persons who have informed the executive officer in writing of their desire to be notified by telephone in advance of any hearing held pursuant to this paragraph (e)(9), and shall provide advance telephone notice to any such person.

(10) A variance shall cease to be effective upon failure of the party to whom the variance was granted substantially to comply with any condition.

(11) Upon the application of any person, the executive officer may review and for good cause modify or revoke a variance from the requirements of subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) as applicable after holding a hearing in accordance with the provisions of subsections (e)(2) and (e)(3).

(g) Submittal of Compliance Plan. Each producer shall, by September 1, 2004, submit to the executive officer a plan showing the producer's schedule for achieving compliance with subsection (a)(2). Each producer shall, by July 1, 2005, submit an update of the plan.

1. Change without regulatory effect renumbering former section 2255 to section 2281 filed 9-17-91 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 92, No. 4).
2. New subsections (h)-(h)(5) filed 10-21-93 as an emergency; operative 10-21-93 (Register 93, No. 43). A Certificate of Compliance must be transmitted to OAL by 2-18-94 or emergency language will be repealed by operation of law on the following day.
3. Repeal of subsections (h)(1)-(h)(5) by operation of Government Code section 11346.1(f) (Register 94, No. 18).
4. Amendment of subsection (c) filed 7-25-97; operative 8-24-97 (Register 97, No. 30).
5. Amendment filed 7-15-2004; operative 8-14-2004 (Register 2004, No. 29).
6. New subsection (a)(5)(A) designator and new subsection (a)(5)(B) filed 7-5-2005; operative 8-4-2005 (Register 2005, No. 27).

Note: Authority cited: Sections 39600, 39601, 39667, 43013, 43018, and 43101 of the Health and Safety Code; and Western Oil and Gas Ass'n. v. Orange County Air Pollution Control District, 14 Cal. 3d 411, 121 Cal. Rptr. 249 (1975). Reference: Sections 39000, 39001, 39002, 39003, 39010, 39500, 39515, 39516, 39667, 41511, 43000, 43016, 43018, and 43101, Health and Safety Code; and Western Oil and Gas Ass'n. v. Orange County Air Pollution Control District, 14 Cal. 3d 411, 121 Cal. Rptr. 249 (1975).

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