ExxonMobil is enforcing stricter fuel quality standards at its Baton Rouge, La., refinery after deliveries of tainted gasoline led to mechanical problems for some local motorists. Via the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the company is investigating the chemical composition of some five million gallons of bad fuel that were shipped to local filling stations between March 12 and March 15. The Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Commission received 35 vehicle complaints between March 21 and March 28.
State officials are working with ExxonMobil to find out why the fuel left deposits in the injector systems and engine valves of the affected vehicles. Plant manager Mark Northcutt said Friday ExxonMobil had identified an “atypical variation” in the affected batches of fuel consistent with the vehicle malfunctions reported in the area.