Beijing tightens supervision of gas stations

To reduce volatile organic compounds pollution, or VOCs, Beijing's environmental protection authority said on Thursday that it will tighten supervision over oil and gas providers.

According to the Beijing Air Pollution Prevention Regulation that took effect on March 1, heavier fines will be imposed on violators.

Under the new regulation, auto fuel should be added with oil cleaning agents and violators will face a fine of 10,000 yuan ($1,630) to 100,000 yuan.

Gas stations and oil providers should also make sure a device that collects gasoline vapor - Beijing required all gas stations to install by 2008 to reduce the VOCs emissions - is working normally. Self-inspection on the devices should be conducted at least once a year.

Those found using the devices abnormally will face a fine between 20,000 yuan and 200,000 yuan, compared with previous penalties up to 50,000 yuan.

A monitoring system will be set up at all gas stations in Beijing before 2017 to collect data on the recovery of gasoline vapor through the devices, Liu Mingyu, an official of Beijing Vehicles Emissions Management Center, said on Thursday.

By the end of this year, the monitoring system will be put into use for trial operation at 20 large gas stations, Liu said.