CHEESEBURGERS AND FUEL STANDARDS

The current system of gasoline standards in the U.S. is complex.  Because of numerous state and federal standards, suppliers of gasoline face many different criteria for fuel quality, resulting in many different types of fuels.  These bureaucratic requirements lead to situations where adjacent or nearby areas may have significantly different standards.  These different fuel formulations are referred to as “boutique fuels.”

To put this plainly, let’s compare these specially ordered fuels to ordering a cheeseburger.  Some people like their cheeseburger fully loaded, while others prefer to hold the mayo, and some like their burger dry-meat and cheese only.  The point is that each person likes their cheeseburger individualized and made especially for them.  To individualize each cheeseburger takes more time than if everyone ordered them the same.  Boutique fuels work in much the same way, and while personalizing a cheeseburger for lunch or dinner is definitely worth the wait, creating individual fuels for individual states is a costly and much less efficient way to produce fuel. 

Many of you watched this week as President Bush lifted the executive ban on producing oil from the Outer Continental Shelf.  This means that the only thing standing between the American people and vast oil reserves is action from Congress.

While I whole-heartedly support Congress’ removing this ban to increase our domestic energy supply, I also believe there are a number of additional ways we can bring prices down, including, opening up ANWR for environmental energy exploration, increasing our conservation methods and habits, exploring new types of energy production, such as wind, solar, nuclear and regulating “boutique” fuels.

When supplies for certain types of fuel are limited, prices tend to rise quickly, substantially, and sometimes, with very little prior notice.  The more boutique fuels required, the more expensive the price at the pump is for everyday Americans.

Republicans have legislation that would lower the existing number of boutique fuels by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to remove specific blends from the boutique fuel list if the blend becomes obsolete or identical to an existing fuel.  The Fuel Mandate Reduction Act, introduced by Rep. Roy Blunt, also gives the EPA authority to waive fuel regulations should a serious supply disruption arise-similar to the presidential waiver following Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Bottom line-getting gas prices under control will require an “all of the above” approach to building a national energy strategy.  That means improving our conservation habits, building new refineries and producing new sources of American energy, and simplifying the types of fuels available for purchase.

Nancy Pelosi hasn’t been much help when it comes to scheduling votes on serious bills that would bring down prices at the pump, but it is my hope that she will listen to the cries of American families feeling the pain at the pump all over the country.  We need this bill to come to the floor so the House can pass it and we can begin taking meaningful steps to bringing down the price of gas for all Americans.