Gasohol Competition Act of 1980
PL 96-493 (S.2251), enacted 12/02/1980

94 STAT. 2568 
PUBLIC LAW 96-493—DEC. 2, 1980 
Public Law 96-493 
96th Congress 
Dec. 2, 1980 
[S. 2251] 
Gasohol 
Competition Act 
of 1980. 
15 use 1 note. 
15 use 27. 
15 use 26a. 
Credit fee. 
An Act 
To amend the Clayton Act to prohibit restrictions on the use of credit instruments 
in the purchase of gasohol. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of 
America in Congress assembled. That this Act may be 
cited as the "Gasohol Competition Act of 1980". 
SEC. 2. The Clayton Act is amended by redesignating section 26 as 
section 27 and by inserting after section 25 the following new section: 
"SEC. 26. (a) Except as provided in subsection 0>), it shall be 
unlawful for any person engaged in commerce, in the course of such 
commerce, directly or indirectly to impose any condition, restriction, 
agreement, or understanding that— 
"(1) limits the use of credit instruments in any transaction 
concerning the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other 
synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any case in which 
there is no similar limitation on transactions concerning such 
person's conventional motor fuel; or 
"(2) otherwise unreasonably discriminates against or unrea-
sonably limits the sale, resale, or transfer of gasohol or other 
synthetic motor fuel of equivalent usability in any case in which 
such synthetic or conventional motor fuel is sold for use, con-
sumption, or resale within the United States. 
"O^Xl) Nothing in this section or in any other provision of law in 
effect on the date of the enactment of this Act which is specifically 
applicable to the sale of petroleum products shall preclude any 
person referred to in subsection (a) from imposing a reasonable fee for 
credit on the sale, resale, or transfer of the gasohol or other s}mthetic 
motor fuel referred to in subsection (a) if such fee equals no more than 
the actual costs to such person of extending that credit. 
"(2) The prohibitions in this section shall not apply to any person 
who makes available sufficient supplies of gasohol and other syn-
thetic motor fuels of equivalent usability to satisfy his customers' 
needs for such products, if the gasohol and other synthetic fuels are 
made available on terms and conditions which are equivalent to the 
terms and conditions on which such person's conventional motor fuel 
products are made available. 
"(3) Nothing in this section shall— 
"(A) preclude any person referred to in subsection (a) from 
requiring reasonable labeling of pumps dispensing the gasohol or 
other synthetic motor fuel referred to in subsection (a) to indi-
cate, as appropriate, that such gasohol or other sjmthetic motor 
fuel is not manufactured, distributed, or sold by such person; 
"(B) preclude such person from issuing appropriate disclaimers 
of product liability for damage resulting from use of the gasohol 
or other synthetic motor fuel; 
"(C) require such person to provide advertising support for the 
gasohol or other synthetic motor fuel; or 
PUBLIC LAW 96-493—DEC. 2, 1980 
94 STAT. 2569 
"(D) require such person to furnish or provide, at such person's 
own expense, any additional pumps, tanks, or other related 
facilities required for the sale of the gasohol or other sjmthetic 
motor fuel. 
"(c) As used in this section, 'United States* includes the several "United States." 
States, the District of Columbia, any territory of the United States, 
and any insular possession or other place under the jurisdiction of the 
United States.". 
Approved December 2, 1980. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 
HOUSE REPORT No. 96-1464 accompanying H.R. 7873 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
SENATE REPORT No. 96-868 (Comm. on the Judiciary). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 126 (1980): 
June 20, considered and passed Senate. 
Nov.17, H.R. 7873 considered and passed House; passage vacated and S. 2251, 
amended, passed in lieu. 
Nov. 19, Senate concurred in House amendment.