80.395—Who is liable for violations under the gasoline sulfur program?
(a) Persons liable for violations of prohibited acts—
(1) Averaging violation.
Any refiner or importer who violates § 80.385(a) is liable for the violation.
(2) Causing an averaging violation.
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, retailer, wholesale purchaser-consumer, or oxygenate blender who causes another party to violate § 80.385(a), is liable for a violation of § 80.385(c).
(3) Cap standard violation.
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, retailer, wholesale purchaser-consumer, or oxygenate blender who owned, leased, operated, controlled or supervised a facility where a violation of § 80.385 (b) occurred, is deemed in violation of § 80.385(b).
(4) Causing a cap standard violation.
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, retailer, wholesale purchaser-consumer, or oxygenate blender who produced, imported, sold, offered for sale, dispensed, supplied, offered for supply, stored, transported, or caused the transportation or storage of gasoline that violates § 80.385(b), is deemed in violation of § 80.385(c).
(5)
GPA use violation. Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, retailer, wholesale purchaser-consumer, or oxygenate blender who owned, leased, operated, controlled or supervised a facility where a violation of § 80.385(f) occurred, is deemed in violation of § 80.385(f).
(6)
Causing a GPA use violation. Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, retailer, wholesale purchaser-consumer, or oxygenate blender who produced, imported, sold, offered for sale, dispensed, supplied, offered for supply, stored, transported, or caused the transportation or storage of gasoline that violates § 80.385(f), is deemed in violation of § 80.385(c).
(7) Branded refiner/importer liability.
Any refiner or importer whose corporate, trade, or brand name, or whose marketing subsidiary's corporate, trade, or brand name appeared at a facility where a violation of § 80.385(b) or (f) occurred, is deemed in violation of § 80.385(b) or (f), as applicable.
(8) Causing violating gasoline to be in the distribution system.
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, or oxygenate blender, who owned, leased, operated, controlled or supervised a facility from which gasoline was released into the distribution system which does not comply with an applicable sulfur cap standard, a sulfur averaging standard, or a GPA use prohibition, is deemed in violation of § 80.385(d).
(9) Carrier causation.
In order for a carrier to be liable under paragraph (a)(2), (4), (6), or (8) of this section, EPA must demonstrate, by reasonably specific showing by direct or circumstantial evidence, that the carrier caused the violation.
(10) Denatured ethanol violation.
Any oxygenate blender who violates § 80.385(e) is liable for the violation.
(11) Parent corporation liability.
Any parent corporation is liable for any violations of this subpart that are committed by any of its wholly-owned subsidiaries.
(12)
Joint venture and joint owner liability. Each partner to a joint venture, or each owner of a facility owned by two or more owners, is jointly and severally liable for any violation of this subpart that occurs at the joint venture facility or facility owned by the joint owners, or is committed by the joint venture operation or any of the joint owners of the facility.
(13)
Failure to use credits violation. Any small refiner that has an approved adjustment of its per-gallon cap under § 80.271 and that does not obtain (or generate) and use the required number of sulfur credits or allotments under § 80.271(d) by the time it submits its annual report under § 80.370 is deemed in violation of § 80.385(g).
(b) Persons liable for failure to meet other provisions of this subpart.
(1)
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, wholesale purchaser-consumer, retailer, or oxygenate blender who fails to meet a provision of this subpart not addressed in paragraph (a) of this section is liable for a violation of that provision.
(2)
Any refiner, importer, distributor, reseller, carrier, wholesale purchaser-consumer, retailer, or oxygenate blender who caused another person to fail to meet a requirement of this subpart not addressed in paragraph (a) of this section, is liable for causing a violation of that provision.