SALEM, Ore., Feb. 5, 2015—Oregon’s leading small-business association today expressed its deep disappointment with yesterday’s vote by a committee of the Oregon Senate to make current low-carbon fuel standards permanent.
“I listened to more than two hours of testimony from experts on both sides of the issue,” said Jan Meekcoms, Oregon state director for the National Federation of Independent Business. “The only thing that came through loud and clear was that the standards called for in Senate Bill 324 are confusing, complex and conflicted. The impact on fuel prices ranged from $.04 a gallon to $1.18 a gallon and possibly more. I now refer to SB 324 as the bill of hope.”
- We hope it doesn’t raise fuel prices in the form of a phantom tax that is not transparent to consumers. (By the way, none of the increase in cost due to LCFS goes to the state or back to consumers. The revenue would go to producers, most of whom are currently out-of-state.)
- We hope there are enough bio-fuels available to meet the standards set by SB 324
- We hope there is the infrastructure to produce, transport and dispense bio-fuels at the level mandated. It doesn’t exist now
- We hope the effect to performance and longevity on existing fossil fuel engines is not too costly to Oregon citizens who simply cannot afford to purchase a hybrid car better suited to these fuels
- We hope there are enough hybrid cars on the road to actually use what is produced and that they are affordable for the average citizen. Currently only about 2,000 hybrids are in use in Oregon
- We hope the carbon credit exchange system actually works and doesn’t become a black market adversely affecting working Oregonians.
“These are just a few of the uncertainties that became apparent during Monday’s testimony,” said Meekcoms. “That’s a heap of hope, and if the “hopes” don’t pan out, consumers and Oregon taxpayers will be left with a huge financial burden as with the Columbia River Crossing ($80,000,000) or the Cover Oregon Health Insurance Exchange ($300,000,000).”
NFIB members, according to Meekcoms, endorse and support a healthy environment and quality air, and are proud that much has been accomplished with the state and federal programs already in place. Oregon already leaves one of the smallest carbon footprints in the country.
“Creating a phantom gas tax that makes owning and driving a car so expensive that it will force Oregonians out of their cars and into mass transit, walking and bicycling might work in Downtown Portland, but it sure as heck will not work in any rural or less-populated areas of our state,” she said. “Currently gas prices are unusually low at the pumps. This cannot be assumed to be a permanent situation. This is only providing a short-term boost to businesses and families who are still weary from the great recession and should not be capitalized upon to implement a hidden-gas tax within the haze of clean air policy. The resulting effects will slow business expansion and reduces jobs. We’d like to see the proposed Low Carbon Fuel Standards be allowed to sunset while other programs continue to improve air quality and reduce the use of fossil fuels without creating a hardship upon Oregon’s small businesses and working families.”
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For more than 70 years, the National Federation of Independent Business has been the Voice of Small Business, taking the message from Main Street to the halls of Congress and all 50 state legislatures. NFIB annually surveys its members on state and federal issues vital to their survival as America’s economic engine and biggest creator of jobs. NFIB’s educational mission is to remind policymakers that small businesses are not smaller versions of bigger businesses; they have very different challenges and priorities.
National Federation of Independent Business/Oregon
3340 Commercial St. S.E. Suite 210
Salem, OR 97302
503-364-4450
Twitter: @NFIB_OR
