"Put A Cap on Ozone" Program Returns for 2001 Summer Ozone Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 4, 2001

Cooperative effort will test and replace a whole new group of faulty gas caps for free at all Envirotest and independent emissions testing stations

For a second consecutive summer, motorists in the Denver metropolitan area getting an emissions test who are found to have a faulty gas cap, or are simply missing a cap altogether, will receive a free NAPA gas cap or a $5 voucher toward the purchase of a new one. The "Put a Cap on Ozone" program, scheduled to begin Monday, June 4, is part of a continuing effort to help curb ground-level ozone pollution along Colorado’s Front Range.

The "Put a Cap on Ozone" program was launched last summer by the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, as part of the RAQC’s voluntary ozone reduction effort. In 2000, the program replaced more than 10,000 gas caps, amounting to a reduction of more than 600 pounds of volatile organic compounds – a type of pollution that can lead to ground-level ozone formation – per day.

Because of the success of last year’s program it is being repeated this summer, and has been expanded to include free gas cap testing at major employer sites. Due to the two-year emissions testing cycle, a whole new group of vehicles with bad or missing caps will get new caps this summer. It is anticipated that 11,000-12,000 gas caps will be distributed. The gas cap program will run from June 4 to Sept. 15, or as long as supplies last.

The new gas caps will be available at all Envirotest-operated Air Care Colorado emissions testing stations and at Denver area independent emissions testing stations, which provide tests for 1981 and older vehicles. Motorists who fail the gas cap portion of the emissions test will receive a new cap free. However, if the stations do not have the gas cap necessary to fit a particular vehicle, the motorist will receive a $5 voucher good toward the purchase of a new gas cap at participating area NAPA auto parts stores. New gas caps range in retail price from less than $5 to $15.

State air quality regulations require emissions testing stations to fail a vehicle if the gas cap is not operating properly, doesn’t fit properly or is simply missing. After a failing vehicle is outfitted with a new cap, it is required to repeat all phases of the emissions testing procedure.

This summer the cap replacement program has been expanded to include major employer sites. The RAQC already has tested gas caps at Roche Colorado in Boulder and Hunter Douglas in Broomfield. Several more of these on-site gas cap exchanges have been scheduled during the summer. Employers interested in holding a gas cap testing event may contact the RAQC at 303-629-5450.

Ken Lloyd, executive director for the RAQC, said properly-working gas caps are an important component in the fight against ground-level ozone pollution because evaporative emissions from all sources can account for up to six percent of noxious emissions on any given day in the Denver metropolitan area.

"Evaporative emissions from faulty and missing gas caps can amount to nearly three tons of air pollution per day on their own," Lloyd said. "Pollutants in evaporative emissions lead to ground-level ozone formation, a type of air pollution that plagues the region during the critical hot summer months. By replacing these caps, we can take an important step toward reducing emissions and combating our summertime pollution problem."

Ground-level ozone is created when pollutants like nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds are released into the atmosphere. These pollutants react photochemically in the presence of sunlight to create ozone.

The Denver metropolitan area is in danger of violating the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ozone pollution standards, which are based on a three-year average. A summer of high ground-level ozone readings could earn the area "nonattainment" status from the EPA and trigger costly pollution control requirements.

"We’re pleased to once again participate in and co-sponsor this worthy program," said Derrick Pickeral, general manager for Envirotest Systems in Colorado. "Not only will customers with failing caps get one for free, but also a new cap is going to save them money in the long run. A vehicle with a bad cap can lose about a gallon of gasoline every two weeks in the summertime through evaporation. So this program not only helps the air but also helps the motorist’s wallet."

Program sponsors encourage all motorists to ensure that they have good, tight-fitting gas caps on all their vehicles, even if they are not due for an emissions test soon. Many caps will "click" when they are put back on after refueling – a sign to the motorist that the cap fits snugly. Of course, motorists whose vehicles are missing the caps entirely should replace them immediately. Evaporating gasoline is not only bad for the air, it can also be dangerous.

Funds for the $100,000 gas cap program are being provided by Envirotest Systems Corp. and by a federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) program grant, locally administered by the Denver Regional Council of Governments and the Colorado Department of Transportation. NAPA Auto Parts again has agreed to provide the approximately 12,000 gas caps at a reduced cost and will honor the vouchers at all area NAPA stores, most of which are within a mile or two of emissions testing stations.

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