SACRAMENTO – On Thursday and Friday, November 21 and 22, the Air Resources Board (ARB) will hold a public hearing to consider a"cleaner air recipe" for the world's cleanest gasoline.

The hearing will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, and continue at 8:30 a.m. Friday, at the State Building, 107 South Broadway, Auditorium, Room 1138. A decision is expected Friday.

The standards being considered are more effective than the federal Environmental Protection Agency clean gasoline standards which take effect in 1995. The pollution brought under control with the ARB proposal (about 1500 tons per day) matches that of three major standards adopted in the last 18 months, including the first phase of gasoline clean-up, diesel fuel clean-up standards and emission limits for future model cars. The proposed standard is expected to produce everyday gasoline that will be 30-40 percent less smog forming than today's gas.

In addition, it will reduce the potential cancer risk from toxics such as benzene by about 25 percent. The estimated cost for this cleaner gasoline will be 10 to 14 cents per gallon.