The Center for Environmental Health, an Oakland, California-based nonprofit, has settled a 2011 lawsuit it brought against numerous aviation fuel suppliers in the state, according to a report at AOPA.org.
Under the settlement, 30 fuel distributors have agreed to warn residents living within one kilometer of those airports of the potential risks by posting warning signs advising of the hazards of lead at 23 California airports where they operate, according to the AOPA report. The distributors also agreed to sell the fuel with the lowest-lead content that is commercially available in sufficient quantities and to make mogas available to FBOs that request it. In addition, the 30 companies will pay a combined $550,000 in penalties and legal costs.
$550,000.00, maybe we can sue them for all the trees for the paper and energy including time lost dealing with their foolishness and actually not being part of a solution but just an addition to the problem which was studied long before their distraction… In addition, sign pollution for scaring a public with the word “Lead” all around.
It is very hard to find mogas that doesn’t have ethanol in it. STC for mogas must be ethanol free. Most refineries put ethanol in there before it goes into transport truck, train car,or pipeline. Anybody ever see what mogas turns to if it sits in tank for 6 months? It’s not safe to use! 100 LL is still fine if it sits for 2 yrs. just make sure water not in sump drains. If car gas has ethanol in it it goes bad much sooner.
It sounds as if Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton have a some graduates from their extortion seminars!
A totally B.S. Lawsuit to shake down law abiding businesses. This shows just how out of control the political and legal situation is in CA. That they would allow such a suit is rediculus. It is the responsibility of the government to pursue such actions WHEN NECESSARY and not some vigilante group whose real agenda is legal blackmail. Just look at the results of the lawsuit, nothing at all is changed except the cost of AvGas to the pilots in the affected area when the cost of the settlement is passed down. CA and its voter approved propositions continue to be a nightmare of “Sounds Good” legislation that devistate the economy of that state. I lived there once and would never go back, too expensive, too crowded and too crazy.
Mogas does not meet the California air quality standards for fuel based on oxygenation requirements, therfor we don’t get to have it in this state. Change the blend and maybe.
Get the names of every anti-aviation frootloop involved in this lawsuit, and put them on the No-Fly List.
Ahhhhh, Regulation Nation at work. Who need the House to pass laws, just make ’em up as you see fit.
What law did the distributors violate to deserve a fine? The answer is none. This was nothing but a mob style shakedown to fund the non-profit that brought the lawsuit.
While it would be nice for California to simply slip off into the Pacific ocean it is doubtful that it will happen any time soon………meanwhile, we want MOGAS, no ADSB, and no third class medical……….
I think those are all dreams but I like your thinking …
The fact that they seem to think there are a variety of approved aviation fuels containing lead shows their ignorance or their assumption of ignorance among pilots. There is only one grade out there, 100LL, which has been the same as 100VLL for many years. As far as MOGAS is concerned, FBOs and Avgas suppliers in California have been unwilling to offer this for years despite pilot demand, so I would not hold my breath that anything is going to change. Retail sellers of ethanol-free gasoline are virtually non-existent in California, making it doubly hard to get 91+ AKI E0 mogas to airports. If the Aviation alphabets wanted this to happen, it would have happened years ago. With flying activity plummeting in recent years, it is probably to late anyway.
I agree Kent, the one thing that may help is that of mogas being listed in the settlement. The naming of mogas may help non aviation people understand, as well as many pilots/owners, that automotive gasoline is a leagal and viable option. The politics of getting mogas at airports is amazing. Many airports/FBOs fuel tanks are insured by aviation fuel suppliers who will not insure the facility if the handle auto gas. Perhaps this will bring awarness to the political and insurance realities of the “avgas problem”.