Contact:
Tony Hozeny, Department of Commerce, 608/267-9661
MADISON-Department of Commerce (Commerce) petroleum inspectors have
determined that there is no evidence of contaminated fuel coming into the
state, Commerce Secretary Cory L. Nettles announced today. The petroleum
inspection program regulates both petroleum products and their storage
systems.
“Commerce staff have inspected the fuel at all the wholesale terminals
serving the Milwaukee area, and it has passed inspection and meets national
standards,” Nettles said. “Wisconsin has a more extensive petroleum
inspection program than any other state in the Midwest.”
Nettles added that the petroleum inspection program has not seen any
significant changes in staff or resources in current or recent biennial
budgets. Commerce uses a sampling and testing schedule that follows the
standard quality control/quality assurance model. The agency tests fuel for
compliance with national standards as set forth by the American Society for
Testing Materials and the Environmental Protection Agency. All the fuel
tested at the Milwaukee area terminals met these standards. In addition,
Commerce tested numerous samples of fuel from gasoline service stations and
the gasoline tanks of automobiles waiting repairs for fuel injector
problems. None of the samples showed any contamination.
Terminal owners also do their own quality control testing. The rate of fuel
noncompliance events at the terminals has historically been less than one
tenth of 1 percent. That rate has not changed.
Commerce began receiving complaints on the performance of automobile fuel
injectors following an October 19, 2004 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story. In
analyzing the complaints about fuel injectors received from consumers, the
agency found no trends that pointed to problems with any grade of fuel,
brand of fuel or service station or stations. Some of the complaints related
to mechanical and other issues and dated back several years. To date,
Commerce has received no complaints from automobile dealers or automobile
repair shops regarding contaminated gasoline.
