AFPM President and CEO Chet Thompson this week submitted comments to leaders of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee after the Committee’s inaugural hearing on the state of U.S. transportation infrastructure and supply chains failed to include customer perspectives.
In a tight refined product market it has been U.S. refiners that have stepped up. Our industry ran full-out for most of 2022 making sure American consumers, our domestic economic centers and our allies had enough gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to keep everyone moving. Our refining sector leads the world in liquid fuel production and is effectively doing more than any other to bring better balance to the global market.
Transportation safety is a shared responsibility and a range of stakeholders play a part, including rail shippers, rail workers, the railroads (or rail carriers) and well-prepared emergency responders. AFPM members, as shippers, control the tank cars and rail cars we own up to the point when we hand them over to the railroads.
Eight midwestern governors have petitioned the EPA seeking to opt their states out of the federal 1-pound Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) waiver which is a requirement to sell the current summertime blend of E10 gasoline. If these requests are granted, the E10 gasoline currently sold in most of the country during summer months will no longer be offered for sale in these states and annual costs to introduce a new gasoline bend will range from $500-$800 million each year.
AFPM Senior Director of Fuels & Vehicle Policy Patrick Kelly today issued the following statement on EPA's announcement that it will grant requests from eight Midwestern states to remove the 1.0 psi RVP waiver from summertime gasoline effective next year. If implemented, these states will no longer be able to sell the current blend of summertime gasoline and a new grade of gasoline will need to be manufactured and supplied to the region.
"AFPM is extremely disappointed that the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program was allowed to expire and strongly urges the Senate to pass H.R. 4470 as soon as possible so that our members can resume their longstanding, collaborative relationship with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) via the CFATS program. Our industries remain committed to providing the best security possible while the program’s regulations remain unauthorized.."
Today, Rob Benedict, AFPM Vice President of Petrochemicals and Midstream, issued the following statement in response to a unanimous proposal from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board that would allow for reciprocal switching within the U.S. freight rail system in order to address inadequate service.
In late July, Congress allowed a valuable program that enhances security at chemical facilities across the country to expire. The program is called the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), and its primary mission is to protect chemical facilities from potential terror threats by addressing a wide range of possible vulnerabilities, including cyberattacks.
WASHINGTON, D.C – American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) yesterday filed comments with the Surface Transportation Board (STB) in response to their proposed rule that would require railroads to report service metrics and require the use of reciprocal switching agreements to address insufficient rail service.