[Comments on Legal Arguments Concerning EPA Requirements for Gasoline Vapor Controls]

GAO commented on legal arguments in a draft brief that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should require use of automobile vapor recovery controls on gasoline pumps. GAO: (1) disagreed with the draft's assertion that the controls were a reasonably available control measure, since there was no legislative basis for EPA to reach such a decision; (2) agreed that an ongoing EPA study did not preclude EPA from declaring the controls mandatory; and (3) noted that EPA submitted a proposed rulemaking that concluded that onboard controls were the best alternative for controlling refuelling emissions.