Weights and Measures experts: Temperature compensation is ‘top priority’

“Automatic temperature compensation is our top priority this year,” said Judy Cardin, the chair of the National Conference on Weights and Measures.

The group voted July 11 on a proposal that would have established a model for temperature compensation for states to follow, but the proposal did not win enough votes for adoption.

The proposal regarding automatic temperature compensation of retail motor fuel received support from 23 states, while many of the remaining 16 states voiced support but felt that further development of the issue was needed for a successful implementation, according to a statement issued by the conference.

The conference represents the entire country in the development of standards for weights and measures. Twenty-seven states are required to pass any proposals that are under consideration at the annual meeting, held this year in Salt Lake City.

A steering committee made up of national experts is already at work moving the issue forward, according to the group’s statement issued July 12 - the day after the vote. The committee’s mandate is to help the technical committees answer important questions that were raised during the open hearings at the annual meeting. Questions concerning nationwide densities for motor fuel, whether the regulations should be permissive or mandatory, an implementation plan and state fuel tax issues are just some of the issues being addressed, according to the statement.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), chairman of the Domestic Policy Subcommittee, said after learning of the conference’s vote, “This is a defeat for consumers and for the economy, which requires accurate measurement for its proper functioning. Unfortunately, it seems that the National Conference on Weights and Measures could be incapable of fulfilling its role of ensuring accurate measurements, and that would send a clear signal to Washington that it might require Congress to take action.”

The Domestic Policy Subcommittee held a hearing on June 8, which showed consumers will be paying an estimated $1.5 billion in “ghost gas” just this summer alone, Kucinich said.

“My subcommittee will continue its investigation into the hot fuels issue, and I am announcing our hearing on July 25, 2007, with senior executives from ExxonMobil and Shell to explain what appears to be a double standard in how the oil industry measures and sells gasoline,” Kucinich said.