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Wisconsin Congressmen Tackle Gasoline Price Spikes, Introduce New Fuels Bill Washington,
DC – Together with a bipartisan group of House colleagues, Wisconsin
Congressmen Paul Ryan, Mark Green, Jim Sensenbrenner and Tom Petri introduced
legislation today that would stop the spread of “boutique” – or highly
specialized – fuels and help prevent the gasoline price spikes that have
plagued Wisconsin in recent years. Their
legislation, the Boutique Fuels Reduction Act of 2004, would tackle the problem
of tight gasoline supply that arises from certain areas’ required use of
boutique fuels. Wisconsin drivers
have suffered in recent years from sudden, seasonal gas price increases due to
the unique type of reformulated gasoline used in some parts of the state and the
inability to draw on gasoline from neighboring areas when supply disruptions
such as refinery fires occur. “We
have to stop our fuel system from becoming even more fragmented and driving up
prices,” Ryan said. “The system
we have now is unnecessarily complex, squeezes drivers’ and Wisconsin businesses’
budgets, and only makes sense for the companies that produce boutique fuels.
We are continuing to fight for a simpler system that will help keep costs
down and air quality up.” "Shrinking
the number of boutique fuel blends is one way we can help work to lower and
stabilize our gas prices," Green said.
"The current hodgepodge system may make sense in some bureaucrat's
cubicle in Washington, but it sure doesn't make sense to folks here in Wisconsin
who've been getting pinched at the gas pump." "We
need to do everything possible to bring the retail price of gasoline back down,
and soon," said Petri. "For
most of us, affordable gas is not a luxury.
This bill will help, and we need to move forward with it." “Just about every year, as summer approaches, and again
around the Labor Day weekend, it costs more for my constituents to fill up their
car with gas than at other times of the year. Boutique fuels unique to our state are a big reason for these
hikes, because in times of fuel shortages, Wisconsin is unable to supplement its
supply from neighboring states. I
am thus pleased to introduce this bill, together with my colleagues from the
Wisconsin delegation, as it will help lighten Wisconsin’s fuel problems,
instead of drivers’ wallets,” Sensenbrenner said. The three major components of the proposal are the following:
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