Argus recently launched a calculated assessment for reformulated gasoline in Group Three. This move comes following recent changes that were made in gasoline specifications for the Denver, Colorado, area in 2024.
Summertime conventional gasoline sales in Denver, Colorado ended on 7 November 2023 when the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandated reformulated gasoline for the metropolitan area during the summer season. The shift in specifications was first announced by the EPA ruling in November 2022 when it found the region was not meeting federal ozone standards. Reformulated gasoline burns cleaner than its conventional counterpart but is also a more expensive fuel to produce.
For the winter months, Denver gasoline prices will likely change little from years past. The Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) levels for reformulated gasoline will likely closely mimic those seen in Group Three’s conventional gasoline market for the southern portion of the midcontinent.
But come summer – which is defined as 1 June through 15 September – Denver area retailers will be required to sell 7.4 RVP reformulated gasoline, as opposed to a prior requirement of 7.8 RVP conventional fuel. This is expected to widen Denver's premium to conventional prices in nearby regions.
Denver reformulated gasoline's premium to sub-octane gasoline prices in adjacent states such as Oklahoma and Kansas should be similar to spreads between Gulf coast CBOB and Gulf coast RBOB. Denver's reformulated gasoline supply will come from a combination of shipments from the midcontinent and Gulf coast markets, as well as from Suncor's 103,000 b/d refinery in nearby Commerce City, Colorado.
Group Three RBOB Methodology
Prices for Regular RBOB are published year-round for 10,000 bl on a fob Tulsa, Oklahoma basis.
Prices are calculated by applying the spread between the prompt Argus Regular Texas Destination RBOB and Regular Colonial CBOB from the US Gulf coast markets to the respective prompt Magellan suboctane V grade price. The use of the spread value mitigates the end-of-summer shift in Colonial RVP specifications.
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Author: Paul Dahlgren, Editor, Refined Products Americas – Gasoline Markets
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Viewpoint: California asphalt supply in limbo
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Viewpoint: Base oils oversupply tigthens US margins
Viewpoint: Base oils oversupply tigthens US margins
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Viewpoint: US policy shift elevates domestic feedstocks
Viewpoint: US policy shift elevates domestic feedstocks
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Viewpoint: US uses delays against 'green' policies
Viewpoint: US uses delays against 'green' policies
Washington, 2 January (Argus) — President Donald Trump's administration has increasingly used regulatory delays to impede the growth of renewable energy projects, while giving fossil fuel companies years of additional time to comply with existing regulations. The delay tactics have proven to be a potent tool for the administration assault on what Trump calls the "Green New Scam", in some cases without having to complete time-consuming rulemakings that take months to finalize. And even when delays have failed to hold up in court, such as a judge's ruling in September lifting a "stop work" order against a $4bn offshore wind project called Revolution Wind, the administration has been able to effectively revive the order months later by citing "classified" national security concerns. Trump began freezing regulations issued under former president Joe Biden hours into his second term on 20 January 2025, and he has ramped up delays in recent months. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in December delayed methane restrictions for oil and gas producers by 18 months and gave coal-fired power plants an extra five years to meet new wastewater standards. The US Interior Department recently issued guidance and directives providing one-year compliance delays for flaring rules and increased minimum bonds to cover decommissioning costs. The Interior Department throughout 2025 repeatedly targeted offshore wind projects that were under construction with "stop work" orders, some of which were later reversed by courts or rescinded in response to concessions related to pipelines . US interior secretary Doug Burgum subsequently issued an across-the-board pause on all five major offshore wind projects last week, citing national security. And in July, Burgum began requiring his personal approval for 69 different categories of reviews for wind and solar, with delays trickling down even for projects located on private land. "We now really have a question about whether American companies can go to a private piece of property and build something," American Clean Power Association chief executive Jason Grumet said in October. The delay tactics have echoes of a strategy deployed under former president Joe Biden, who imposed a year-long "pause" on issuing new LNG export licenses and repeatedly held up federal oil and gas lease sales. Oil and gas officials say they want permitting to be more durable for all types of energy resources but noted a lack of outcry from the renewable energy sector in the four years when Biden was delaying fossil fuel projects. "I didn't see a lot of clean energy lobbyists out there saying that, you know, we should get the Keystone XL pipeline built, or the Constitution pipeline built, or the Mountain Valley pipeline built," American Petroleum Institute chief executive Mike Sommers said on a podcast hosted by POLITICO in September. Democrats are hoping to extract a political price against Trump for delaying renewable energy. They say the administration's blockade against many wind and solar projects are partly to blame for rising electrical bills. Last week, Senate Democrats threatened to abandon bipartisan negotiations on permitting legislation in retaliation for Burgum's directive blocking construction on offshore wind development. "The illegal attacks on fully permitted renewable energy projects must be reversed if there is to be any chance that permitting talks resume," US senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) said on 22 December. The Trump administration plans to continue delays in coming months. EPA plans to propose in "early 2026" a two-year delay of Biden-era air pollution restrictions for cars and trucks sold starting in model year 2027, EPA's top air official Aaron Szabo wrote in an opinion piece published on 19 December in The Hill. The Biden-era vehicle rule was "infeasible" and "unrealistic", Szabo said. By Chris Knight Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2026. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.