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rules.
• "We believe it's too broad, too vague and a big 'what-if,'" Healy said.
• Sen. Mike Vehle, R-Mitchell, said the new system has to be put in place to make sure federal officials do not force South Dakota to return to using No Child Left Behind.
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Rule allowing sale of 85-octane gasoline approved
CHET BROKAW,Asssociated Press
• PIERRE, S.D. (AP) -- A state legislative committee on Wednesday approved a compromise version of a rule allowing the sale of 85-octane gasoline in western South Dakota, but not beyond June.
• The Rules Review Committee was deadlocked a month ago on whether to approve a state agency's proposed rule permanently allowing retailers in western South Dakota to sell the lower-grade blend. The version approved 4-2 Wednesday means the 2013 Legislature will have to decide whether to permit the sale of the gasoline past June 30.
• The rule allows retailers in nine counties to sell it as long as pumps carry a warning label: "Sub-Regular Octane - Refer to owner's manual before fueling."
• Octane is a measure of fuel performance, with a higher level indicating better performance. Officials have said 85-octane gasoline is generally intended for use in high-altitude regions such as the Rocky Mountain states.
• During an investigation into allegations that some stations were selling 85-octane fuel mislabeled as higher octane gasoline, South Dakota's Public Safety Department earlier this year discovered that state law technically prohibits the sale of 85-octane gasoline. Most car manufacturers recommend that gasoline used in vehicles have a minimum octane rating of 87.
• The Public Safety Department, with Republican Gov. Dennis Daugaard's backing, passed an emergency rule making 85-octane gasoline legal anywhere in South Dakota until Oct. 7. The department did so to avoid a possible fuel shortage during the summer tourism season in the Black Hills and the rest of western South Dakota, where the low-octane fuel has been used for decades. The rule approved by the Rules Review Committee will replace the emergency rule.
• The department's original version of the rule would have allowed the sale of 85-octane gasoline only west of the 102nd Meridian, essentially the western quarter of South Dakota. The rule approved Wednesday replaces the meridian reference to specify that the lower-octane blend can be used in Butte, Custer, Fall River, Hard (Continued on page 16)
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