Title: Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2019
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Consumer Protection and Fuel Transparency Act of 2019
This bill requires information to be provided to the public about the risks associated with the improper use of E 15 fuel in certain vehicles, engines, and equipment. The bill defines E 15 as gasoline containing 15% ethanol.
Specifically, the bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise labeling requirements for fuel pumps that dispense E 15 fuel, including by requiring the labels of such fuel pumps to include additional details. The labels must include warning information about vehicles, engines, and equipment (e.g., boats, lawn mowers, chain saws, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and pre-2001 model year vehicles) that are prohibited from using E 15.
In addition, the EPA must implement a public education campaign concerning the risks associated with the improper use of E 15 fuel in such vehicles, engines, and equipment.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1024 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1024

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
revise labeling requirements for fuel pumps that dispense E15, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 6, 2019

Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia (for himself, Ms. Frankel, Mr. Wittman, and 
  Mr. Crist) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                    Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 
revise labeling requirements for fuel pumps that dispense E15, and for 
                            other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Consumer Protection and Fuel 
Transparency Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. E15 FUEL DISPENSER LABELING.

    (a) E15 Fuel Dispenser Labeling Rule.--
            (1) Revision of rule.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall revise 
        the labeling requirements for fuel pumps that dispense E15, 
        including by revising the rule described in paragraph (3) with 
        respect to such requirements.
            (2) Input and requirements for label.--In revising the 
        labeling requirements for fuel pumps that dispense E15 under 
        paragraph (1), the Administrator shall--
                    (A) solicit input from--
                            (i) industries that manufacture vehicles, 
                        engines, and equipment that are prohibited from 
                        using E15, including boats, lawnmowers, 
                        chainsaws, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and pre-
                        2001 model year vehicles;
                            (ii) consumer groups that represent users 
                        of such vehicles, engines, and equipment; and
                            (iii) any other party that the 
                        Administrator determines may be impacted by 
                        such labeling requirements;
                    (B) require that the label for fuel pumps that 
                dispense E15--
                            (i) include the word ``WARNING'';
                            (ii) include the words ``Check your owner's 
                        manual'';
                            (iii) be 5  x  7 inches or larger;
                            (iv) include--
                                    (I) indicators with respect to 
                                vehicles, engines, and equipment that 
                                are prohibited from using E15, 
                                including--
                                            (aa) pictograms depicting a 
                                        boat, lawnmower, chainsaw, 
                                        motorcycle, and snowmobile; and
                                            (bb) warnings with respect 
                                        to pre-2001 model year 
                                        vehicles; and
                                    (II) other indicators developed by 
                                the Administrator, in consultation with 
                                the American National Standards 
                                Institute and the Federal Trade 
                                Commission; and
                            (v) be focus group tested to ensure 
                        effectiveness; and
                    (C) with respect to blender pumps, in addition to 
                the requirements under subparagraph (B), with input 
                from industries, the Federal Trade Commission, and the 
                American National Standards Institute, require an 
                additional warning label on each such blender pump to 
                warn consumers of the residual gasoline left in 
                gasoline pump hoses from the previous individual 
                dispensing.
            (3) Rule described.--The rule described in this paragraph 
        is the final rule titled ``Regulation To Mitigate the 
        Misfueling of Vehicles and Engines With Gasoline Containing 
        Greater Than Ten Volume Percent Ethanol and Modifications to 
        the Reformulated and Conventional Gasoline Programs'' published 
        in the Federal Register on July 25, 2011 (76 Fed. Reg. 44406 et 
        seq.).
    (b) Public Education.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with affected 
industries, shall develop and commence a public education campaign--
            (1) to inform the public regarding--
                    (A) the risks associated with the improper use of 
                E15; and
                    (B) the vehicles, engines, and equipment that are 
                prohibited from using E15, including boats, lawnmowers, 
                chainsaws, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and pre-2001 model 
                year vehicles; and
            (2) that includes, with respect to an existing fuel pump 
        that displays electronic messages, development of an electronic 
        message inquiring if a consumer is aware that E15 is so 
        prohibited, to be displayed on such fuel pump prior to E15 
        dispensing from such fuel pump.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report on the 
public education campaign commenced under subsection (b), including 
data and metrics on consumer awareness of E15.
    (d) Registration Entities Education.--The Administrator, in 
collaboration with State entities responsible for boat registration, 
shall distribute, at the time of initial registration of a boat and at 
the time of the renewal of a registration for such boat, educational 
materials on E15 and its impact on marine engines.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) Blender pump.--The term ``blender pump'' means a fuel 
        pump that may dispense multiple blends of fuel, including E15.
            (3) E15.--The term ``E15'' means gasoline containing 15 
        percent ethanol by volume.
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