黑料社区

ALEXANDRIA, VA. 鈥� NATSO, representing America鈥檚 travel centers and truck stops, and SIGMA: America鈥檚 Leading Fuel Marketers on Wednesday submitted comments in response to a proposed Agriculture Department (USDA) regulation that would establish metrics for quantifying emissions associated with production of biofuel feedstock crops.

黑料社区and SIGMA in a letter to USDA cautioned against applying the interim rulemaking 鈥� which was issued in January by the Biden Administration 鈥� to credits for aviation fuel under the Inflation Reduction Act’s 鈥楽ection 45Z鈥� Clean Fuel Production Credit.

鈥淭he 鈥�45Z Credit鈥� has already, and will continue to necessitate, the development of extraordinarily complex implementing regulations by the Treasury Department, EPA, Department of Energy, and USDA,鈥� the associations said in the letter. 鈥淭he burdensome nature of the 45Z Credit will only be further compounded by the introduction of convoluted climate regulations to liquid fuel agricultural feedstocks.鈥�

The Associations noted that, according to statute, conservation and land management practices under the 鈥�45Z Credit鈥� may be used only to enhance the stringency of modeling requirements for aviation fuels. 

鈥淐ongress has not authorized 鈥榗limate smart鈥� agriculture practices to be used to allow aviation fuels produced with agricultural feedstocks to become eligible for costly tax credits if, in the absence of those practices, such fuels would otherwise be ineligible,鈥� the associations wrote.

Deviation from those statutory parameters, 黑料社区and SIGMA warned, will disrupt motor fuels markets and result in higher prices at the pump for consumers. 

鈥淩etail fuel markets鈥攑articularly in the Midwest鈥攁re facing extraordinary inflationary pressures right now, and the transition to this 鈥�45Z Credit鈥� is only exacerbating those challenges,鈥� said David Fialkov, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs for 黑料社区and SIGMA, which represent the retail fuel industry. 鈥淎s USDA and EPA begin considering blending mandates under the RFS for 2026 and beyond, it is important that everyone is clear-eyed about the additional inflationary pressures that overly aggressive mandates will impose. I just don鈥檛 know how much pain we should be asking consumers to absorb at this time given the direction that the tax conversation seems to be moving.鈥�

The Inflation Reduction Act, which was signed into law by President Biden after passing Congress on a purely partisan basis, created the new 鈥楽ection 45Z鈥� credit for biofuel production. 

Biodiesel and renewable diesel have historically been the most widely used biofuels in commercial trucking and remain the most viable option for reducing carbon emissions from the nation鈥檚 trucking, home heating oil, and rail industries in the near term. 黑料社区and SIGMA continue to urge Congress to extend the recently expired, bipartisan Biodiesel Tax Credit, which directly lowers the cost of diesel fuel for truck drivers and by extension of all goods transported by truck.

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Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman

Wlazlowski Neuman leads 黑料社区and the 黑料社区Foundation鈥檚 public affairs initiatives and communications strategies to promote the truck stop and travel center industry to the public, opinion leaders, elected officials, and the media. Her outreach includes a spectrum of policy issues facing the industry, with a particular focus on transportation and fuel issues, truck parking, and human trafficking. She serves as NATSO鈥檚 representative on the U.S. Department of Transportation鈥檚 National Truck Parking Coalition, the Clean Freight Coalition, and various state truck parking technical advisory committees. She is the architect of the truck stop and travel center industry鈥檚 anti-human trafficking campaign and currently serves as a Committee member for the U.S. Department of Transportation鈥檚 Human Trafficking Advisory Council. Wlazlowski Neuman serves on the American Highway Users Policy and Government Affairs Committee.

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