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House Passes Low-Sulfur Diesel Resolution
Morgan's HJR 47 Seeks Flexibility in Federal Fuel Standards

(JUNEAU) - The House today passed House Joint Resolution 47, calling on federal and state environmental regulators to exercise common sense and flexibility in imposing a new national mandate requiring use of ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel on rural Alaska.

HJR 47 responds to a recent national policy decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to require diesel trucks and buses to use diesel fuel containing no more than 15 parts per million of sulfur as of 2006, in an effort to reduce air pollution and related health and air quality impacts nationwide.

Rep. Carl Morgan (R-Aniak), who sponsored the resolution as co-chair of the House Community and Regional Affairs Committee, said that while the regulations may be well-intentioned, they ignore the reality of how rural Alaska uses diesel fuel.

"I'm very concerned that imposition of these new standards will place an unfair expense on small communities that don't have the capability to stock multiple grades of diesel fuel, and which would be forced to buy only the new fuel that may cost up to 45 cents a gallon more," Morgan said.

Morgan noted that electrical companies testifying on the resolution said varying grades of diesel fuel would become increasingly difficult to obtain for existing systems under the new standards. Representatives of the state trucking industry expressed concerns that the higher-cost diesel fuel would raise the costs to transport freight to and within Alaska.

In its response to the proposed regulations, the state Department of Environmental Conservation recommended accepting the national standards for communities on the state road system and the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system, and asked for an additional year too implement the regulations on the rest of the state.

HJR 47 encourages the federal and state agencies to work together to allow more time and flexibility in implementing the regulations on rural Alaska.

HJR 47 moves next to the Senate for consideration.

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