Congressman introduces bill requiring country of origin labeling at gas stations
Washington, D.C. - Ahead of the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) ruling on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), and with gas hovering near $3.50/gallon, Rep. Bruce Braley (IA-01) today introduced legislation that would allow Iowa consumers to have a choice at the pump.
"America has a decision to make about its energy future. We can gut the RFS and move toward further reliance on Saudi Arabia, Venezula, and Nigeria for our energy needs?or we can continue our path toward energy independence by making investments in ethanol and other domestic energy sources," Braley said. "Iowans should know whether their fuel is coming from Saudi Arabia or from ethanol produced right down the road."
Braley's Country of Origin Labeling for Fuels Act would require gas stations to post the country of origin of the fuel right on the pump, putting purchasing power in the hands of consumers, who can then decide for themselves if they want to spend their money on domestic fuel or fuel that's been imported from abroad.
The US consumes more than 15 million barrels of oil each day and nearly half of that total comes from abroad. Top oil importers include Canada, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, Venezuela, Mexico, and Nigeria.
Since the creation of the RFS in 2005, nearly 10 billion gallons of foreign oil per year have been replaced by renewable ethanol?much of it coming from Iowa.
A link to Braley's legislation can be found online HERE.
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