Petroleum Products Law & Legal Definition

Petroleum products are defined to include gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and lubricating oil. State law may apply to the sale, distribution and storage of petroleum products. Such laws may determine and adopt standards of minimum specifications for petroleum products, and the various classifications and kinds thereof, as to safety, purity, freedom from objectionable substances, distillation tests, heat-producing qualities, fire tests, and efficiency which are not inconsistent with the specifications for the same products that are periodically published by the United States Department of Commerce. 

State laws may require permits for the sale and stoarage of petroleum products, prohibit their adulteration, provide for inspection and testing, set labelling requirements, enforce recordkeeping standards, among other issues. There are various federal laws that affect the petroleum industry, with an emphsis on safety and environmental protection. Some of the federal acts that have affected the petroleum market include the following:

• Clean Air Act Amendments of 1970
• Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act of 1973
• Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975
• Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977
• Airline Deregulation Act of 1978
• Powerplant and Industrial Fuel Use Act of 1978
• Reid Vapor Pressure Regulations of 1989 and 1992
• Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990
• Oil Pollution Liability and Compensation Act of 1990
• The Energy Policy Act of 1992