April 23, 2012

U.S. Rep. John Barrow, (GA-12), a Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, introduced commonsense legislation today that could prevent future unnecessary increases in costs at the gas pump. The Gasoline Regulations Act ensures that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers the cumulative impact, including costs to consumers, before they issue a regulation that could lead to increased gas prices.

Barrow said, "Everywhere I go, folks are worried about the price of a gallon of gasoline. The legislation that Congressman Whitfield and I have introduced will halt new EPA regulations until after they've considered the impact on jobs and economic growth – including the impact a regulation could have at the pump."

"Over the past three years, prices at the gas pump have more than doubled, and that is unacceptable," said Whitfield. "Today, I introduced commonsense legislation that will ensure that the federal government doesn't add to the pain at the pump by implementing regulations without first understanding the full costs they will have on consumers, jobs, and economic growth."

The bill directs the President to establish an interagency committee to study certain EPA rules and actions that impact the price of gasoline and diesel fuels, while placing a pause on three of the most problematic regulations until the study is complete. Those three regulations are:

1. New Source Performance Standards for greenhouse gases for refineries
2. TIER 3 standards (amount of sulphur in the refined product), and
3. Tightening of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for Ozone

The bill also requires that EPA consider the cost of a new NAAQS Ozone rule. Because the courts (Whitman v. American Trucking) decided that the Clean Air Act does not allow EPA to consider costs and feasibility when setting an Ozone standard, this provision is commonsense and will protect consumers and the economy.

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Contact: Richard Carbo, (202) 225-2823
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