Clean Air Initiative Helps Indiana to Breathe Easier
22 June 2000
Ford Motor Company to Use Low Sulfur Gasoline as Factory Fill
INDIANAPOLIS - Amoco today announced it is offering low sulfur premium
grade gasoline throughout most of Indiana beginning immediately. The
availability of the specially refined low sulfur fuel is expected to reduce
exhaust emissions by 60 tons each year, the equivalent of emissions from 4,000
cars.
In conjunction with that announcement, Ford Motor Company said it would
use BP Amoco's cleaner fuel as the factory fill for premium-gasoline-fueled
Ford vehicles assembled in markets where the low sulfur fuel is available.
Ford will expand its factory fill commitment into more assembly plants as BP
Amoco makes the low sulfur fuel available across all grades in other markets.
"We are very pleased to be lowering the sulfur content of our premium
grade of BP Amoco gasoline sold in Central and Northern Indiana from the
industry average of 300 parts per million to 30 parts per million," said Jack
Burdett, BP Amoco Senior Vice President, Midwest Markets. Burdett noted the
company is four years ahead of the EPA requirement for lower sulfur fuels.
Indianapolis becomes the sixth major metropolitan market in the United
States to receive the new lower sulfur fuel. Other US cities include Atlanta,
Chicago, Birmingham, Detroit and Milwaukee.
According to Burdett, Northwest Indiana has benefited from BP Amoco's
cleaner gasoline since last October, when it was introduced to the Chicago
area. "For nine months, the availability of that fuel has kept four tons of
emissions each month from reaching Hoosier air in Lake and Porter counties,"
he said. Burdett noted this is the equivalent of putting 3,150 new cars on
the road without adding any additional air pollution.
The partnering of BP Amoco and Ford Motor Company to introduce low sulfur
fuels emphasizes the commitment of both companies to offer consumers cleaner
products that benefit the environment well ahead of regulatory timetables.
"We are pleased that BP Amoco shares Ford Motor Company's values on
environmental stewardship and is providing consumers with solutions that will
ensure significant, positive environmental impact," said Walt Kreucher,
manager, Fuel Economy and Quality, Ford Motor Company. "Our recent actions
resulting in more than 2.5 million Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) trucks currently
on the road remain unmatched in our industry and it is encouraging that our
customers can further reduce emissions by refueling those vehicles with low
sulfur gasoline."
Ford Motor Company announced in 1998 that all sport utility vehicles
(SUVs) and Windstar minivans sold in the U.S. and Canada, starting with the
1999 model year, would meet the federal government's stringent criteria for
qualifying as LEV. This industry first was followed by the major announcement
in 1999 that all F-Series pickup trucks would be LEV, starting in the 2000
model year.
The combined effect from Ford Motor Company's early-adoption actions so
far is equivalent to eliminating the smog-forming emissions from 350,000 full-
size pickups on the road today. On an ongoing basis, the company's current
actions will result in 4,250 tons less of smog-forming pollutants being
released annually into the atmosphere.
In Indiana, the low sulfur fuel is available as Crystal Clear Amoco
Ultimate and BP Super 93, and delivers the same quality performance as the
previous formula.
BP Amoco is not passing on any additional cost to the customer for its new
generation of clean fuel, even though the company is expected to spend more
than $100 million over the next two years in modifying its refining and
associated operations.
The addition of Indianapolis and much of Indiana to BP Amoco's low sulfur
fuel availability is part of the company's global clean air initiative. The
company has targeted 40 cities worldwide to have cleaner fuels available by
the end of the year. Cities chosen have been identified as those most
troubled by smog and air pollution and include London, Paris, Istanbul and
Warsaw.
The low sulfur fuels are considered cleaner because they enable a car's
catalytic converter to work more efficiently, reducing NOx emissions.
BP Amoco Group CEO Sir John Browne announced the company's clean air
initiative last year. In his speech to the Detroit Economic Club, John Browne
stated, "I don't think it is satisfactory to give customers a choice which
consists of no more than two stark alternatives -- you can have a powerful car
which is great to drive, or you can have a car which doesn't damage the
environment."
He continued, "I think drivers want both, and I think the challenge for
(the fuel and automotive) industries is to give them another choice -- a
choice which transcends the harsh tradeoff. I believe it is possible to
explore for, produce, refine, distribute and use hydrocarbons in ways that
don't damage the environment."
