# 2026-16334: EPA Pauses Punches on AZ Gas Tank Emissions Rules

2026-16334, Determination To Defer Sanctions; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality Department; Gasoline Loading, is a Federal Register rule from Environmental Protection Agency published 2026-08-11, effective 2026-08-11 (as of 2026-08-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16334
- As of: 2026-08-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-16334
- Title: Determination To Defer Sanctions; Arizona; Maricopa County Air Quality Department; Gasoline Loading
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: Environmental Protection Agency
- Citation: 91 FR 51595
- Published: 2026-08-11
- Effective: 2026-08-11
- Comments close: 2026-09-10
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: no
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-08-18

## In one line

EPA Pauses Punches on AZ Gas Tank Emissions Rules

## Summary

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making an interim final determination that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) has submitted rules on behalf of the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD or "County") that addresses deficiencies in its Clean Air Act (CAA or "Act") State Implementation Plan (SIP) concerning emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC) from loading of organic liquids and gasoline. This determination is based on a proposed approval of MCAQD Rule 352 and conditional approval of MCAQD Rule 353, published elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register, that regulate this category of sources. The effect of this interim final determination is that the application of offset and highway sanctions that was triggered by a previous limited disapproval by the EPA in 2025 is now deferred. If the EPA finalizes its approval and conditional approval of MCAQD's submission, relief from these sanctions will become permanent.

## Effects PRIA read

- Sanctions for Phoenix‑Mesa Area Deferred: benefit, medium. The EPA is deferring the application of offset sanctions and highway sanctions for the Phoenix‑Mesa ozone nonattainment area effective August 11, 2026. These sanctions were triggered by the EPA's January 10, 2025 limited disapproval and would have applied 18 months after the February 10, 2025 effec…
- No New Requirements; Small Entities Not Impacted: benefit, low. The EPA states this action defers sanctions and imposes no additional regulatory requirements. The action is certified as not having a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities and does not impose new information collection burdens.

## Related documents

- [2026-22082](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-22082): Additional Reconsideration Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sour…, 2026-10-29
- [2026-21155](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-21155): Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Program: Reallocation of Additional 2025 Small Refinery Exemptions, 2026-10-16
- [2026-20849](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-20849): Clean Water Act Hazardous Substance Facility Response Plans: Compliance Date Delay and Changes To Reflect Administration Policy, 2026-10-13
- [2026-19071](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19071): Partial Repeal of the Carbon Pollution Standards for Fossil Fuel-Fired Electric Generating Units, 2026-09-17
- [2026-19072](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19072): Rescission of the Greenhouse Gas Findings for Fossil Fuel-Fired Power Plants and Repeal of Regulations for Power Plant Greenhouse Gas Emiss…, 2026-09-17
- [2026-18317](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-18317): Updated Definition of “Waters of the United States”, 2026-09-09

## Sources
- [2026-16334 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/11/2026-16334/determination-to-defer-sanctions-arizona-maricopa-county-air-quality-department-gasoline-loading)
- [2026-16334 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-11/pdf/2026-16334.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-16319, Regulatory Changes Required by the Energy Security and Lightering Independence…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16319)
- [Next: 2026-16336, Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Reallocation of Pollock in…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16336)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-16334 (as of 2026-08-18).