WASHINGTON - Today before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy, NACS Vice President of Government Relations John Eichberger is providing testimony on behalf of the convenience and fuel retailing industry on the merits of legislation supported by NACS: the Domestic Fuels Protection Act (H.R. 4345).

Explaining that the industry is committed to complying with today€™s laws and regulations, he noted that NACS members are not beholden to any specific product and will sell what their customers demand, provided it€™s in a lawful manner. "As new fuels come onto the market, our members want to have the legal option to sell these fuels if their customers wish to buy them," Eichberger said, adding that the Domestic Fuels Protection Act would help the industry bring new fuels to market.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Help retailers overcome the challenges of selling new fuels if the goals of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) are to be realized.
• Provide a way for existing retail equipment that is technically compatible with new fuels to be legally recognized as such, thereby eliminating some of the costs associated with unnecessary equipment replacement.
• Protect retailers from retroactive liability should today€™s laws governing fuel sales change in the future.
• Remove key legal impediments that make it difficult and impractical, or even impossible, to bring new fuels to market.

"H.R. 4345 will address some of the legal issues that are preventing retailers from even considering whether to sell new fuels like E15," Eichberger said, adding that the bill is not fuel specific nor is it solely an E15 bill. "H.R. 4345 is fuel-neutral; it is designed to facilitate the introduction of innovative new fuels," Eichberger told the subcommittee.

In closing, he noted that H.R. 4345 is the "necessary first step to reduce the cost of introduction of new fuels and to provide long-term regulatory and legal certainty to the market."

For complete coverage of today€™s hearing, be sure to read tomorrow€™s NACS Daily.