Rep. Roscoe Bartlett Joins Bipartisan House Members to Introduce Open Fuel Standard Bill

Press Release

Congressman Roscoe Bartlett today joined a bipartisan group of House members led by Congressmen John Shimkus (R, Illinois-19) and including Eliot Engel (D, New York-17), and Steve Israel (D, New York-2) to introduce the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) Act (HR 1687), which is intended to bring fuel competition to the pump.

The OFS would require that 50 percent of new automobiles in 2014, 80 percent in 2016, and 95percent in 2017, would be warranted to operate on nonpetroleum fuels in addition to or instead of petroleum based fuels. Compliance possibilities include the full array of existing technologies -- including flex fuel, natural gas, hydrogen, biodiesel, plug-in electric drive, and fuel cell -- and a catch-all for new technologies. This requirement will then provide certainty to investors to produce alternative fuels and fueling stations to have a variety of pumps supplying those alternative fuels.

Congressman Bartlett said, "The International Energy Agency (IEA) documented that worldwide conventional crude oil production peaked in 2006-2007. As a result, Americans face the prospect of repeated oil supply shocks and ruinous price spikes. This technology neutral Open Fuel Standard legislation will give Americans options they can choose to end their personal dependence and the strategic monopoly of oil for transportation. That's why we have come together as Republicans and Democrats to support OFS as a key step to break the cycle of pain at the pump."

The Big Three automobile companies have in the past stated their willingness to make 50 percent of new vehicles flex fuel by 2012. The cost of doing so is about $100 per vehicle. In Brazil the ratio of flex fuel vehicles went from zero to 70 percent in just three years.

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