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New Equipment Helps Consumers at the Pumps
5-1-03
By
Ted Sloan
Kentucky Department of Agriculture
The Kentucky
Department of Agriculture is using the latest technology for testing
gas pump accuracy, increasing efficiency and ensuring consumers
are getting what they pay for.
The Department
utilizes four high-tech "provers" for testing gas pump
calibrations. Each prover sits in the back of a pickup truck,
allowing state inspectors to check the accuracy of fuel pumps
for all three grades of gasoline in a very short time.
"The
old system was time-consuming for our inspectors because they
had to fill a five-gallon can, one grade at a time," said
Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Billy Ray Smith. "Now we
can inspect all three grades at once before moving on to another
set of pumps; that's improved our efficiency and cut costs."
The four provers
each contain three calibration testers, one for each grade of
gasoline. "Each calibrator is attached to a 60-gallon tank,"
said Randy Wise, Director of the Division of Regulation and Inspection.
"This allows our inspectors to check all pumps at a retail
outlet before returning the gasoline samples back to the seller's
underground storage tanks, and that saves time and labor."
By statute,
the Kentucky Department of Agriculture is required to check every
gas pump in the state for accuracy at least once a year. KDA inspectors
also check the octane levels of gasoline to ensure that buyers
receive good gasoline. In addition, state inspectors check all
scales for accuracy, including even scales used by pharmacists
to weigh medicines. All scanners used by grocery stores and other
retail outlets are checked by KDA inspectors for accuracy at least
once a year.
For more information,
check out the Kentucky Department of Agriculture Web site at http://www.kyagr.com
or contact the Division of Regulation and Inspection at (502)
573-0280.
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