A new US Act has been passed by Congress that proposes marketing just two types of diesel in the United States.

The Gasoline for America's Security (GAS) Act, House Bill 3893, was narrowly passed by the House of Representatives and is a response to the recent disruption to fuel supplies caused by the devastating 2005 hurricane season.

The Act proposes a statutory framework that could increase refinery capacity for a range of fuels, including diesel.

The GAS Act encourages refineries to increase supply in response to soaring fuel prices and bans "price gouging" in gasoline or diesel fuel sales. It also provides for the promotion of environmental and fuel efficiency drives, such as car-pooling.

The GAS Act would reduce the number of fuel formulas refiners from 17 to six, cutting down on the number of "boutique" operations, and makes the assumption that there will be just two types of diesel on the market, US News reports.

Under the terms of the Bill, the final say over its implementation is held by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) – which could yet result in further tweaks considering a plan adopted by the EPA several years ago approved the sale of multiple types of diesel for vehicles, including the new ultra-low-sulphur fuel.

Ford's vice president of governmental affairs is among those expressing concern about the proposals and suggested that the GAS Act would lead to more high-sulphur blends on the market than currently planned.

Dan Brouillette explained: "Part of the strategy that has helped us reduce smog-forming emissions was based on cleaning up the fuel going into vehicles."

Manufacturers say they need to work in tandem with the EPA to ensure the necessary infrastructure is in place and to develop clean vehicle strategies in partnership.


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