I write to urge the Obama administration and the EPA to withdraw the proposed new tax on gasoline. This mandate will impose higher gasoline prices on American consumers without significant benefits.
The Tier 3 rule is just another example of the administration’s desire to increase energy costs for Americans. In California, which has a similar mandate, gasoline prices are almost 40 cents a gallon above the national average. It is never ‘common sense’ to drive up gasoline prices when so many Americans are struggling to make ends meet.
In the midst of the greatest domestic energy boom in American history, Tier 3 would force as many as 7 refineries to shut down. This would raise the price of gasoline by as much as 25 cents per gallon, according to one study. Moreover, a previous federal mandate already reduced the sulfur content in gasoline by 90 percent since 2000. Further reductions will only drive up the price of gas at the pump and do almost nothing to improve the environment.
Science should never be conducted behind closed doors. But to justify the Tier 3 rule, the EPA uses secret databases that the agency refuses to release to the public. As we have seen with the IRS’ political attacks on conservative groups, the EPA is using underhanded tactics against energy producers.
With Tier 3, the federal government is telling America to brace for higher fuel prices and fewer jobs for no discernable reason. As such, the EPA should abandon its quest to impose higher energy costs on American families and businesses.
