In an effort to demonstrate the need for a fuel quality program in Ohio, Hamilton County Auditor Dusty Rhodes is asking citizens who believe they have received bad fuel to complete and mail or E-Mail the Motor Vehicle Fuel Quality Complaint Form or call us at (513)946-4130. The gas complaints received will be documented and sent to Hamilton County legislators. County Auditors across the state have been telling legislators this is an important consumer protection issue. Now they need gasoline consumers to help them demonstrate the need for a fuel quality testing program in Ohio.
Ohio drivers consume 6 billion gallons of gasoline per year, making it one of the largest consumer states in the nation. Yet Ohio is one of only 4 states without a fuel assurance program.
Currently, Weights and Measures inspectors of the County Auditor’s office inspect all commercial devices used in retail trade for weighing, measuring, and scanning. There are 7,541 gas pumps at 323 businesses in Hamilton County. Each is inspected annually by trained inspectors to make sure each pump is dispensing the correct amount of fuel. The stickers you see on gas pumps indicate the pumps have passed inspection. However, unlike most states, no testing for quality of gas takes place in Ohio. Ohio Auditors believe consumers deserve to know they are buying what they are paying for – not only the correct amount of fuel, but also good quality fuel and the proper octane. Help County Auditors make this change in Ohio law.
Consumers have a right to know what they are putting in their vehicles. However, currently, in the State of Ohio, there is no system in place to protect consumers from bad gasoline. That’s why County Auditor’s across Ohio have come together to tell state legislators that Ohio needs a fuel quality program.
This program would require no new taxes and would not be fee based. Weights and Measures employees of each County Auditor’s office already inspect gas pumps to make sure the pumps are dispensing the correct quantity of fuel. These same inspectors could easily be trained to test the quality of fuel as well, cutting down the cost of implementing a statewide program. Inspectors would test octane levels and the amount of water and sediment in fuels.
County Auditors want to ensure consumers are getting high quality gasoline. Ohio consumers have a right to know the quality of the gas at the pumps.
Motor Vehicle Fuel Quality Complaint Form
In 1999, the Ohio Department of Agriculture performed a quality test of 203 samples from 135 locations across Ohio. 21.9% of the regular unleaded gasoline tested did not meet standards and was rejected!
For additional information on fuel quality, please contact: Dusty Rhodes Hamilton County Auditor Weights & Measures Division 138 East Court Street, Room 501 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 Telephone: (513) 946-4130 Fax: (513) 946-4124