EPA eases Atlanta gas rules

As metro Atlantans sputtered through another day of long lines, spot shortages and panicked buying at the gas pumps, the federal government on Tuesday waived the region’s smog-busting gasoline requirements in an attempt to boost supplies.

But Gov. Sonny Perdue, who requested the waiver, does not expect it to solve the region’s overall gas shortage. That could take up to two weeks as refineries in the Gulf of Mexico continue to ramp back up after two hurricanes.

Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley urged metro Atlanta drivers to conserve gas by teleworking, combining trips, carpooling and taking public transportation. Reducing demand seems to be the only quick fix, experts say.

“I don’t think people should expect that it’s [the waiver] going to be enough to fill every tank in the metro area,” Brantley said. “Anything you do to conserve the gas usage would help greatly.”

Referring to reports of drivers topping off tanks and filling gas cans, he added: “We need to return to normal supply, but we also have to return to normal demand.”

But Brantley said the waiver, effective immediately from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, should “help somewhat.” The waiver, good through Oct. 12, allows gas stations in 45 counties in and around the metro region —- from the Alabama line to the North Georgia mountains —- to stock gasoline with a higher sulfur content.

Gas with higher sulfur content that’s used in most of the rest of the country could come from either the pipelines from the Gulf that serve the metro region, or by truck from as far away as Ohio and Pennsylvania, according to government officials and suppliers.

With many stations closed, long lines of cars queued up to stations with open pumps, their drivers hoping to reach the front before that station also ran out. In Marietta and Sandy Springs, lines spilled into the streets, causing traffic jams.

Just the thought of running out motivated many to fill up —- even with half a tank or more.

“I’m just kind of freaking out,” said Terry Williams, who still had half a tank full of gas in her Mercedes. She said she’s heard how hard it is for people to find any kind of gas, especially premium.

“I just want to play it safe and keep a full tank,” she said. Williams was stranded on the side of I-85 South near Chamblee-Tucker Road on Tuesday for another reason: flat tire.

Dan Gilligan, president of the Petroleum Marketers Association of America, which represents about 1,000 marketers, compared the crisis to a row of dominoes. A pair of hurricanes hampered production, refining and supply. Some gas station chains, which usually buy gas as they need it, found themselves without gas to buy —- and closed.

And that tipped consumers into a buying mode, said Gilligan. “When they close, that creates a panic mentality.”

Metro Atlanta is one of the few places with a shortfall, and its problem could ease now that the environmental restrictions have been relaxed, Gilligan said.

“The EPA should have waived the sulfur standard a long time ago,” he said.

The EPA has also restriction waivers in place in Texas, Kentucky, Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, EPA spokesman Dave Ryan said.

In his letter to Perdue, EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson acknowledged metro Atlanta is experiencing “acute shortages” and that there is “not an adequate supply of fuel meeting the requirements of Georgia’s” Clean Air laws.

The region’s cleaner-burning gasoline, called a “boutique fuel” because it requires special production, was phased-in between 1999 and 2004. The gasoline must have a super-low sulfur content, as well as low evaporative emissions that reduce fumes when pumped. The requirements have helped reduce the Atlanta region’s smog.

The region’s concerns about smog generally end Sept. 30 when cooler weather returns.

Staff writers Michael E. Kanell and Rachel Pomerance contributed to this article.