Law & Order

Oregon Bills to Eliminate Ethanol/Create Mandatory Miles Traveled Tax Die as Legislature Adjourns

By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff

oregon
Legislation to remove the requirement that all gasoline offered for sale in Oregon contain a percentage of ethanol died when the legislature adjourned for the year.

Legislation to remove the requirement that all gasoline offered for sale in Oregon contain a percentage of ethanol died when the legislature adjourned for the year. The bill did not receive committee consideration. Currently, the state requires that “a retail dealer, nonretail dealer or wholesale dealer may not sell or offer for sale gasoline unless the gasoline contains 10% ethanol by volume.”

The bill recognized that while the current ethanol mandate does not apply to fuel used in antique, all terrain and racing vehicles, there has been an inability to obtain unblended gasoline for engines that may be damaged by ethanol. Separate legislation to convert the state’s current voluntary vehicle miles traveled (VMT) tax program to a mandatory program also died. The bill did not receive committee consideration. The mandatory program would have applied to all high-mileage vehicles that have a rating of 55 mpg or better. These high-mileage vehicles would not have paid the gas tax that applies to all other vehicles.

For details, contact Steve McDonald at stevem@sema.org.