Truck drivers, the ATA, the American Fuel & Photochemical Manufacturers and the Consumer Energy Alliance have joined forces, and filed an injunction against the state of Oregon, in an attempt to block the state’s low carbon fuel standards from taking effect.
The bill, SB 324, has been coined the “Clean Fuels Program.” The bill, which was signed into law on March 12, seeks to regulate the carbon lifecycle of fuel solids.
The ATA says the bill “provides unfair benefits to Oregon’s biofuels industry and harms out-of-state refiners and producers in violation of the Commerce Clause.”
Many fear the fuel standards will increase fuel prices while doing very little to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“Just as trucking is the lifeblood of our economy, for the foreseeable future, diesel fuel is the lifeblood of the trucking industry,” said ATA President and CEO Bill Graves. “Anything that unnecessarily raises the cost of fuel will not just hurt the trucking industry, but will also hurt consumers everywhere in the form of higher prices for food, clothing and other consumer goods.”
ATA Vice President for Energy and Environmental Affairs Glen Kedzie referred to a similar law in California which is expected to increase the price of wholesale fuel to $1.89 per gallon by 2020.
The suit has been filed in the U.S. District Court of the District of Oregon.
Sources
ATA
Portland Business Journal