Renzi Fights to Lower Gas Prices and Increase U.S. Refinery Capacity

House Approves Bill to Streamline Permit Process for New Oil Refineries WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-1) this week voted to lower gas prices and increase refinery capacity in the United States as the House approved H.R. 5254, the Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act, to streamline the permit process for new refineries. Currently there have been no new refineries built in the U.S. in more than 30 years and this bill will help coordinate federal and state agencies to make it easier for new refinery permits to be issued. Renzi last month voted to toughen price gouging laws and earlier called for an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission into high gas prices in Arizona and across the nation. "We have not built a new refinery in more than 30 years and in that time our nation's thirst for gasoline has only increased," said Congressman Renzi. "There is no easy fix for high gas prices, but more refineries will help ease future price shocks. While this is a first step, I will continue to push the Congress towards the future of alternative and renewable fuel sources and work to end our dependency on foreign oil." Specifically, the bill establishes a federal coordinator to convene U.S. government agencies responsible for issuing permits in order to better develop new refining facilities. The measure will also bring all federal and state agencies together in a coordinated capacity to make it easier to add fuel refining capacity and eliminate delays in the permitting process for new or expanded gasoline, biofuel or distillate-processing facilities. While the bill will streamline the permit process, it will also preserve the strict environmental standards that must be met for these facilities to be developed, including Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation Recovery Act requirements. Congressman Renzi has been aggressively pushing oil companies to invest in increased alternative and renewable fuel programs to help lessen America's dependence on foreign sources of oil. Renzi, who drives a hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle, is also calling on the auto industry to produce more flex fuel vehicles to run on alternative and renewable fuels. Congressman Renzi is co-sponsoring legislation (HR 4357) in the House to help America become more energy independent with specific goals that will require a ten percent blend of renewable fuels in American gasoline by 2010.