Retail Fuels Industry Urges Northeastern States to Refrain from Adopting TCI

More
 

ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Three trade groups representing the retail fuels industry ─ NATSO, representing the nation’s truckstops and travel plazas, the National Association of Convenience Stores and the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America ─ today encouraged Northeastern states to reconsider the regional Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI) and instead focus on climate change policies that will achieve more meaningful environmental benefits without imposing exorbitant costs on low- and middle-income Americans.

“The retail fuels industry is encouraged by policymakers who take seriously the threat of climate change and craft policy designed to mitigate the threat for all Americans,” the groups said in a joint statement. “The retail fuels industry has been active, productive advocates for clean fuel policies for more than a decade. We know what types of policies result in greater consumption of alternative fuels, and what types of policies do not. The TCI program, as currently constructed, will not work. The program will result in higher costs without any meaningful environmental benefit. These higher costs will be most acutely felt by the northeast region's low-income communities. There are more effective ways to commercialize alternative fuel technologies. We hope to be productive participants in future TCI discussions.”

In a letter to Kathleen Theoharides, Chair of the Transportation and Climate Initiative, the groups said that TCI:

  1. Injects substantial pricing and administrative complexities into the retail fuels market, without making alternative fuels, including electricity, more desirable for consumers;
  2. Increases fuel prices and places a regressive tax upon low-income Americans, who spend a far greater percentage of their income on energy needs;
  3. Intensifies the economic uncertainty and hardship created by the COVID-19 pandemic by increasing the price that consumers will pay for fuel and ultimately increasing household spending during a time of unprecedented job losses and diminished GDP.

Media Contact:
Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman
Vice President, Public Affairs
Phone: (703) 739-8578
Email: twlazlowski@natso.com

Subscribe to Updates

NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.