Mecklenburg County requested and received CMAQ funding from the NC Department of Transportation for a gas cap replacement project. A gas cap replacement project will produce quantifiable reductions in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). 

Some facts on leaking gas caps:

• Leaking gas caps contribute to air pollution and waste fuel due to evaporation.
• According to the US Car Care Council estimates, 17% of vehicle gas caps are either damaged or missing allowing 147 million gallons of gasoline to vaporize every year.
• Gas caps can leak regardless of the age of the vehicle (higher if vehicle is more than 3 yrs old)
• Every leaking gas cap = approximately 200 pounds of evaporative emissions per year (0.1 tons of VOCs)
• Thirty gallons of gasoline can be released annually from a leaking gas cap.

MCAQ provided gas cap testing units to rotate between forty five volunteering NC inspection stations. Fifteen stations will be testing caps each quarter in 2007, January through September. If your  vehicle's gas cap fails the test, a new one will be provided to you free of charge.

                    "3rd Quarter Schedule Will Be Listed On July 8th"