When you buy gas in Ohio, you may notice a little sticker on the pump with the county auditor's name on it. Those officeholders routinely check pumps to make sure they are operating properly and that consumers are getting the amount of gasoline they pay for.
But the county auditors cannot test the quality of gas in those pumps. Ohio is one of only three states that doesn't allow gasoline to be tested for quality. A pair of Democratic senators wants to change that.
Sen. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton) said several of his constituents were recently forced to make expensive car repairs after they got bad gas from a local business. He said a water link in a fuel tank at that gas station led to numerous cars being damaged. Blackshear said it wasn’t just costly for the car owners; the gas station had to shut down its pumps for at least ten days. Blackshear said testing the quality of gas would help prevent that.
“It presents a safety concern for everyone driving on Ohio’s roads," Blackshear added. "Just imagine what would happen if someone’s engine begins to sputter on the highway due to contaminated gas."
Montgomery County Auditor Karl Keith said testing for quality wouldn’t be difficult since auditors already test pumps for weights and measures.
“We feel like we have inspectors in the field who are doing this work already that we could be trained and equipped to do fuel quality testing at the same time. And even if it’s just testing the amount of water in the tanks, it matters,” Keith said.
Senate Bill 80 has been considered by lawmakers for a few years now but never made it through the legislative process. Sen. Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati) said she’s unsure why. She said businesses can be unaware that the gas in their pumps is compromised so testing would help determine that before it causes serious damage.
A spokesperson for Republican Senate leadership said with the budget process ongoing, leaders are too busy to talk about the bill. But Senate Majority Caucus Communications Director John Fortney said he’s confident members will have a thorough and thoughtful discussion about the bill in the future.
