Inspections of Iowa gas pumps lagging, state auditor says

State Auditor David Vaudt said today that state inspections of gas pumps at Iowa service stations have been lax and do not meet state and federal requirements.

Vaudt issued an audit of the fuel inspection program administered by the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship indicating that the agency's weights and measures bureau inspected between 60 percent and 75 percent of the Iowa pumps during a four-year period that ended June 30, 2009. State law requires annual inspections of fuel pumps operating in Iowa.

Vaudt said the bureau is responsible for licensing and inspecting fuel pumps in Iowa to ensure the fuel pumps measure fuel accurately, that the pumps are safe, and the fuel extracted from the fuel pump is correctly labeled. It's also responsible for investigating complaints from individuals regarding fuel quality, the accuracy and safety of fuel metering pumps and the accuracy of the displayed price and labeling of the fuel product.

He said the audit results call those functions into question. The auditor also noted that the situation likely has slipped even further in the past 20 months because state funding for the agricultural agency has further declined in the past two budgeting cycles.

According to the audit, the state agriculture department failed to inspect all fuel pumps on an annual basis as required by state law.

The agency inspected 60 percent to 75 percent of the fuel stations annually for fiscal years 2006 through 2009, Vaudt's report said. In addition, 42 percent of the inspection reports reviewed for fiscal year 2009 did not include documentation showing the ethanol content was tested as required, and 48 percent did not include documentation showing the octane rating was tested as required.

The department also did not comply with state law for monitoring repairs and recalibrations of fuel pumps, rechecking failed fuel pumps, performing inspections of liquid propane (LP) gas meters, bulk meters and administering a qualifying exam for the licensing of persons servicing commercial fuel pumps, the audit stated.

In a response from the ag agency's weights and measures bureau included in the audit, department officials said the agency does not have sufficient staff to perform the program's required inspections and monitoring procedures. During fiscal 2009, the bureau employed seven inspectors to inspect

over 35,000 fuel pumps located throughout the state and completed inspections of only 70 percent of fuel pumps and no inspections of LP and bulk fuel meters. As of June 30, 2010, the bureau was down to five inspectors available to inspect over 36,000 fuel pumps, according to the audit response.