Oregon Lawmaker Introduces Bill to Ban the Sale of ‘Petroleum’ Diesel at Gas Stations Starting in 2024
by Ashley (cdl life) Oregon House Republicans have called the bill a “declaration of war against the working class.” — A member of the Oregon House of Representatives has introduced a bill that would outlaw the sale of “petroleum” diesel fuel in some counties in just a few years — a move that has come under heavy criticism by the Oregon House Republican Caucus.
The bill, known as HB 3305, was introduced by Rep. Karin Power on Tuesday.
If passed, the bill “prohibits retail dealer, nonretail dealer or wholesale dealer from selling petroleum diesel for use in motor vehicle on or after specified dates.” The bill goes on to state that “‘Petroleum diesel‘ does not include fuel that consists of a blend of petroleum diesel and biodiesel or other renewable diesel, as those terms are defined in ORS 646.905, where the biodiesel or other renewable diesel is at least 99 percent of the mixture by volume.”
The bill would begin to ban the sale of “petroleum” diesel by “non-retail dealers” as soon as 2024 in Clackamas, Washington or Multnomah counties and state-wide by 2027.
The bill defines non-retail dealers as “any person who owns, operates, controls or supervises an establishment at which diesel fuel is dispensed through a card-activated or key-activated fuel dispensing device to nonretail customers for use in a motor vehicle.”
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The Oregon House Republican Caucus issued a scathing rebuttal of the proposed petroleum diesel ban, calling it a “declaration of war against the working class.”
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In response to the uproar over the legislation, Power tweeted, “I don’t understand this press release; we sent the language to folks in advance and asked for collaboration and feedback. This policy replaces one type of diesel fuel with other fuel types. It’s spearheaded by a major trucking company that has found significant cost savings.” READ MORE
Fresh Off A Bruising Climate Fight, Oregon Democrats Set Sights On Diesel Emissions (Jefferson Public Radio)
Excerpt from Jefferson Public Radio: Jana Jarvis, executive director of the Oregon Trucking Association says her group is opposed to any bill that would require a switch to another kind of fuel. She believes that, if renewable diesel is as good as Wilson claims, the market will make room.
Jarvis also doesn’t believe there’s enough renewable diesel to satisfy Oregon’s needs. And she notes that there’s not currently a cost-effective way to get the fuel to southern and eastern Oregon.
“Many of our members are very interested in moving in that direction, but there’s no supply,” she said. “It’s questionable why we would try to mandate a product in short supply.”
The question of supply is somewhat tricky. Wilson points to a report from the State of Oregon that suggests as much as 517 million gallons of renewable diesel are available to Oregon in 2021, an amount that would cover the vast majority of the state’s diesel use. READ MORE