I 
113TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5123 
To require the Secretary of Energy to implement country-of-origin disclosure 
requirements with respect to motor vehicle fuels, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2014 
Mr. BRALEY of Iowa introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Energy and Commerce 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of Energy to implement country- 
of-origin disclosure requirements with respect to motor 
vehicle fuels, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Country-of-Origin La-
beling for Fuels Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN
INFORMATION.—The 
term ‘‘country-of-origin information’’ means infor-
mation regarding each country in which motor vehi-
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cle fuel or the components of such fuel were ex-
tracted, refined, or otherwise processed. 
(2) MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL.—The term ‘‘motor 
vehicle fuel’’— 
(A) means any fuel used to power an auto-
mobile, as defined in section 32901(a) of title 
49, United States Code; and 
(B) includes alternative fuels, as defined in 
such section, other than electricity (including 
electricity from solar energy). 
(3) MOTOR
VEHICLE
FUEL
RETAILER.—The 
term ‘‘motor vehicle fuel retailer’’ means a person in 
the motor vehicle fuel supply chain who sells motor 
vehicle fuel to the general public for ultimate con-
sumption. 
(4) MOTOR
VEHICLE
FUEL
SUPPLIER.—The 
term ‘‘motor vehicle fuel supplier’’ means a person 
in the motor vehicle fuel supply chain other than a 
motor vehicle fuel retailer. 
SEC. 3. STUDY ON IMPLEMENTING COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN LA-
BELING FOR MOTOR VEHICLE FUEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy, 
in consultation with the Administrator of the Environ-
mental Protection Agency, shall— 
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(1) conduct a study to determine appropriate 
methods and standards for requiring that— 
(A) motor vehicle fuel suppliers disclose 
country-of-origin information with respect to 
motor vehicle fuel to the next person in the 
motor vehicle fuel supply chain; and 
(B) motor vehicle fuel retailers disclose 
such information to consumers; and 
(2) make recommendations with respect to the 
most feasible and cost-effective country-of-origin in-
formation disclosure requirements that can be im-
posed on motor vehicle fuel suppliers and motor ve-
hicle fuel retailers. 
(b) ELEMENTS OF STUDY.—The study required by 
subsection (a) shall address the following: 
(1) The extent to which persons at each step in 
the motor vehicle fuel supply chain have access to 
country-of-origin information regarding the fuel they 
sell, and the nature of any such information. 
(2) An assessment of whether such information 
is adequate— 
(A) to enable a motor vehicle fuel supplier 
to provide country-of-origin information to the 
next person in the supply chain; and 
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(B) to enable a motor vehicle fuel retailer 
to provide country-of-origin information to con-
sumers, by displaying that information at fuel 
pumps or on a website. 
(3) If the Secretary determines under para-
graph (2) that such information is inadequate to en-
able motor vehicle fuel suppliers or motor vehicle 
fuel retailers to provide country-of-origin informa-
tion, measures that can be taken to collect adequate 
information— 
(A) by the Secretary; and 
(B) by motor vehicle fuel suppliers and 
motor vehicle fuel retailers. 
(4) The feasibility of various country-of-origin 
information disclosure requirements, including— 
(A) displaying at each fuel pump the pre-
cise country or countries in which the fuel being 
dispensed to each consumer originated; and 
(B) displaying at each motor vehicle fuel 
retailer or on the website of each motor vehicle 
fuel supplier or motor vehicle fuel retailer the 
country or countries from which the fuel the 
supplier or retailer (as the case may be) sells 
generally originates. 
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(5) Such other issues relating to motor vehicle 
fuel country-of-origin information disclosure require-
ments as the Secretary considers appropriate. 
(c) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 90 days 
after completing the study required by subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report that— 
(1) summarizes the results of the study; and 
(2) contains the recommendations required by 
subsection (a)(2). 
SEC. 4. REGULATIONS REQUIRING COUNTRY-OF-ORIGIN IN-
FORMATION DISCLOSURE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
submitting the report required by section 3(c), the Sec-
retary of Energy, in consultation with the Administrator 
of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall prescribe 
regulations requiring disclosure of country-of-origin infor-
mation by motor vehicle fuel suppliers and motor vehicle 
fuel retailers in accordance with the Secretary’s rec-
ommendations in the report. 
(b) 70 PERCENT THRESHOLD.—The regulations re-
quired by subsection (a) shall not require the listing of 
more than one country-of-origin for a fuel blend con-
taining fuel 70 percent or more of which originated in a 
single country. 
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SEC. 5. ENFORCEMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the Sec-
retary of Energy may impose a civil penalty of not more 
than $10,000 on a person that the Secretary determines, 
in accordance with section 554 of title 5, United States 
Code, knowingly violates the regulations prescribed under 
section 4. 
(b) REQUIREMENTS WITH RESPECT TO IMPOSITION 
OF PENALTY.— 
(1) NOTICE.—The Secretary of Energy may not 
impose a penalty upon a person for violating the reg-
ulations prescribed under section 4 unless— 
(A) the Secretary provides the person with 
notice of the violation; and 
(B) the violation continues for more than 
30 days after the date on which the person re-
ceived notice under subparagraph (A). 
(2) DETERMINATION
OF
AMOUNT
OF
PEN-
ALTY.—In determining the amount of the penalty to 
be imposed on a person for violating the regulations 
prescribed under section 4, the Secretary shall con-
sider the severity of the violation, the size of the per-
son’s business, and the effect of the penalty on the 
person’s ability to continue in business. 
Æ 
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