WASHINGTON (Legal Newsline) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Jan. 18 that Tauber Oil Company has agreed to pay $700,000 and stop selling unregistered fuel additive after Clean Air Act violation allegations.
Tauber, based in Houston, manufactures and markets petroleum and petrochemical products. According to the EPA, Tauber produced a fuel additive called mixed alcohol, a blend of various alcohol streams. The company purportedly sold around 1.9 million gallons of this product without registering the product with the EPA. These fuel additives need to be registered with the EPA to ensure they meet the Clean Air Act requirement that fuel and fuel additives are similar to what is used in the certification of motor vehicles.
The Clean Air Act created standards for fuel quality and emissions for fuel additives; this helps reduce air pollution from motor vehicles. The act also mandates that a fuel additive manufacturer register its product with the EPA before selling it.
The stipulation of settlement and order was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The stipulation will go before public comment for 30 days before being finalized.