Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1346, the Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act. I am a supporter of the Renewable Fuel Standard, including allowing the voluntary year-round sale of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol, known as E15, because it lowers prices for American drivers, supports our farmers, and fosters investment in cleaner transportation fuels.
That is why we are here today, to preserve and expand the availability of a cheaper and cleaner fuel option for the driving public. Blending more biofuels, like ethanol, into gasoline displaces demand for petroleum, helping to bring down gas prices for consumers.
That is particularly important when Trump's reckless war of choice in Iran is driving up prices at the pump for Americans. Just yesterday, new inflation data showed that, overall, energy prices are up nearly 18 percent over the last year, and Americans cannot afford Trump's price spikes.
Issues concerning the Renewable Fuel Standard have a long bipartisan history. For example, at the end of 2024, Democrats and Republicans from the Energy and Commerce Committee worked to secure meaningful provisions in a bipartisan, bicameral, end-of-the-year government funding package.
That agreement included similar year-round E15 language that would have lowered costs and made a meaningful difference in the lives of hardworking Americans. Allowing year-round E15 would have ensured that Americans have access to homegrown biofuels that save drivers money at the pump and help insulate people from dramatic global price fluctuations.
Congress had a chance to address the year-round E15 issue then, but Speaker Johnson backed out of that bipartisan, bicameral deal because Elon Musk, of all people, voiced his opposition to it. This problem of Republicans' own making has persisted with no resolution for more than 2 years now.
Earlier this year, Speaker Johnson set up an E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council of only Republican Members to bring a new E15 deal to the House floor. This council operated without transparency, abandoned bipartisan cooperation, and ignored longstanding and clear Energy and Commerce Committee jurisdiction on legislation amending the Clean Air Act and the Renewable Fuel Standard.
Next, they tried to slip this deal into the farm bill but were blocked by Republican opposition and a score from the Congressional Budget Office.
The net effect of the deal brokered by the Republican-only E15 Rural Domestic Energy Council would be a $2.3 billion increase in the deficit over a 10-year window.
The Republican majority scratched the amendment because it costs money, and here we are, debating a standalone version to allow them to get around their budget requirements. Republicans like to give the impression that they are fiscal hawks, but that is a joke. It is just another example of how they can't get their act together and actually govern.
Republicans are going to turn the other way on supposed fiscal discipline to try to pass this bill, but they refuse to address so many other priorities to help Americans.
Families across the country are dealing with an affordability crisis, thanks to high prices for healthcare, energy bills, and groceries, but House Republicans won't lift a finger to help us on any of these issues.
These are the games the Republican majority plays daily. They are a mess. They are incapable of governing, and the American people are paying the price.
Mr. Speaker, to be clear, I am not opposed to this bill, but I have serious concerns with the Republican majority's artificially rushed, partisan, and secretive process. This is not a bill that I would have proposed if I or any Democrats were given a seat at the negotiating table.
However, it is a compromise, and despite my reservations, I am voting ``yes'' because year-round E15 can offer some relief at the pump as prices soar across the board due to Trump's reckless war in Iran and the disastrous Republican energy agenda.
Despite my serious concerns with the process by which this bill was brought to the floor today, the bill is a step in the right direction, as President Trump and congressional Republicans carelessly undermine renewable fuels and push policies that hurt our farmers.
Today, drivers are saving, on average, about 30 cents per gallon to fill up their tanks with E15. This fuel provides significant savings for families during the summer driving season, so let's ensure it continues to be available at gas stations across the country all year with certainty, which is what this bill does.
Mr. Speaker, I support the bill but not the methods used to get here. In any case, I do support the bill.
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Mr. PALLONE. Craig), the ranking member of the Agriculture Committee. She used to be on our committee, but we lost her as she moved to the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee.
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Mr. PALLONE. Davids).
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Mr. PALLONE. Budzinski).
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, may I ask how much time remains on both sides.
Mr. Speaker, I want to reiterate my support for the Renewable Fuel Standard, including allowing the voluntary year-round sale of gasoline with 15 percent ethanol, known as E15, because it lowers prices for American drivers, supports farmers, and fosters investment in cleaner transportation fuel.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues on a bipartisan basis to support this bill. I yield back the balance of my time.
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