ATLANTA — State Representative Bruce Williamson (R-Monroe) today announced that the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) received approval to lift its requirement that a unique, special blend of summer gasoline, known as Georgia gas, be sold in Walton County. Walton County is one of 45 metro-Georgia counties that will be affected by this change.
“I am pleased to see that the EPA has removed this restriction in Walton County, which has caused our residents to see higher than average gas prices during the summer months,” said Rep. Williamson. “This rule has been in place in Georgia since 2003, and has only been burdensome for consumers and small business owners; however, Walton County citizens can expect to see a difference at the pump beginning next summer.”
The removal of this regulation means that 32 metro counties will no longer be required to sell specially formulated gasoline, and only 13 metropolitan counties will now fall under mandates of the EPA’s Clean Air Act which requires the sale of a specially formulated fuel. However, Georgia gas also will no longer be required in these 13 counties, as it will be replaced by another clean burning federally approved gasoline.
According to Karen Hays, director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division’s (EPD) Air Protection Branch, next summer, gasoline retailers in those 13 counties will still sell a specially formulated fuel, but it will not be the Georgia Gas that was previously required.
Representative Bruce Williamson represents the citizens of District 115, which includes portions of Walton County. He was elected into the House of Representatives in 2010, and currently serves on the Banks & Banking, Energy, Utilities, & Telecommunications, Governmental Affairs, Insurance, and Ways & Means committees.
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*Editor’s note: The 32 counties that will no longer be required to sell specially formulated gasoline are: Barrow, Bartow, Butts, Carroll, Dawson, Hall, Haralson, Jackson, Newton, Pickens, Spalding, Walton, Banks, Chattooga, Clarke, Floyd, Gordon, Heard, Jasper, Jones, Lamar, Lumpkin, Madison, Meriwether, Monroe, Morgan, Oconee, Pike, Polk, Putnam, Troup, and Upson.
The 13 counties that will use another clean burning federally approved gasoline are: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, Coweta, Dekalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, Paulding and Rockdale.