New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Shinn today praised BP Amoco, one of the world's largest gasoline refiners, for its commitment to produce and market low sulfur gasoline.

"John Browne, CEO of BP Amoco, has demonstrated great leadership and social responsibility with this initiative to market low sulfur gasoline in 40 cities worldwide. The health of hundreds of millions of people, including most of the eight million residents of New Jersey, is impacted by high ozone levels that would be significantly reduced if the sulfur content of gasoline is lower.

John Browne has my deep respect for accepting the fact cars won't get cleaner without cleaner fuel. It is my hope that his leadership will set a standard for the petroleum industry to follow. It is imperative that the petroleum industry works in partnership with government and automobile manufacturers to solve our serious air pollution problems.

The arguments of the rest of the petroleum industry that refining low sulfur fuel will raise prices at the pump ring hollow now that BP Amoco has voluntarily accepted the challenge of selling cleaner fuels in the extraordinarily competitive gasoline market that exits today.

There is no disputing that because of high sulfur content in gasoline, catalytic converters in the millions of cars on New Jersey roads are less effective at cleaning tailpipe emissions than they were designed to be. High sulfur gasoline is also the greatest barrier to the introduction of even more effective automobile pollution control technology.

BP Amoco, by making the investment today in the low sulfur fuel we need to meet our clean air goals, is positioning itself to prosper as automobile technology changes. I hope the rest of the refining industry recognizes the wisdom of what John Browne has committed to do and follows his lead."