Gasoline Vapor Recovery (Stages I and II)

The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 classified southeastern Wisconsin as a severe ozone non-attainment area. This means that southeastern Wisconsin's air quality is not meeting the federal standard set to protect public health. To improve air quality, Stage I and Stage II Vapor Recovery were put into action to capture harmful gasoline vapors, known as mobile source air pollutants, from escaping into the air we breathe.

Many chemicals in gasoline vapor can lead to poor air quality. These vapors then contribute to the formation of ground level ozone, the main ingredient of smog, which can cause a number of respiratory problems. The elderly, active children and adults, and people with respiratory disease, such as asthma, find it more difficult to breathe when ground level ozone levels are high.

Stage I vapor recovery is a control strategy to capture gasoline vapors that are released when gasoline is delivered to a storage tank. The vapors are returned to the tank truck as the storage tank is being filled with fuel, rather than released to the ambient air.

Stage II is the control strategy that captures gasoline vapors when a vehicle is being fueled at the pump. The vapors are returned through the pump hose to the petroleum storage tank instead of being released into the air.

To learn more about gasoline vapor recovery:

• How Do Vapor Recovery (Stage 1 and Stage 2) Systems Work?
• Vapor Recovery Requirements for Gasoline Dispensing Facilities
• Reporting Consumer Problems with Stage 2 Equipment
• Current Wisconsin DNR Vapor Recovery Regulations
• Other sources of Information

Contacts for Wisconsin’s vapor recovery program:

Policy issues: Larry.Bruss@wisconsin.gov, 608.267.7543

Southeast Region: Randy.Reading@wisconsin.gov, 414.263.8572

Air Management