Logistics Management - June 2010

Energy legislation continued
bon footprint of the fuels they sell, with
refiners passing on costs to consumers
in the form of higher fuel prices—or a
hidden multi-billion dollar tax.
“[This] climate bill clearly imposes
a tax on transportation fuels and reallocates
revenue from that tax for nontransportation
purposes,” said Bill
Graves, ATA president and CEO. “Only
a small portion would go to the Highway
Trust Fund for much-needed improvements
and repairs to our nation’s highway
infrastructure.”
“[This] climate bill clearly
imposes a tax on transportation
fuels and reallocates
revenue from that tax for
non-transportation purposes.”
—Bill Graves, President and CEO, ATA
Despite the ATA’s opposition, there
are others that view this bill as a step in
the right direction. A noted green logistics
expert told LM that rather than taking
a one-size-fits-all approach to wean
the U.S. off foreign oil, this bill acknowledges
the need for a change in strategy.
“What I appreciate about this bill is
their acknowledgement of the needs
for different strategies and innovations
by various industries, including power
plants, heavy industry, and transportation,”
said Brittain Ladd, a supply chain
consultant and lecturer on green supply
chain strategies for a consulting firm. “I
also like the fact that the bill recognizes
that America can’t wean itself from foreign
oil without first creating alternative
methods to powering our plants and
vehicles.
While legislation is now on the
table, the chances of it being signed
into law are far from certain due to
sharp divides among partisan lines.
A Bloomberg report quoted Senate
Majority Leader Harry Reid as saying
he may set this bill aside for a smaller
energy bill that would increase production
from renewable energy sources,
set new energy efficiency standards,
and limit offshore drilling expansion to
the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
FUEL
President Obama, trucking industry
agree on new fuel standards in 2014
WASHINGTON—A fully loaded
80,000-pound tractor-trailer gets about
five miles per gallon of diesel fuel—if
that truck is properly maintained and
it’s going downhill with a tailwind.
President Barack Obama wants to
change that. And, somewhat surprisingly,
the American trucking industry
largely agrees.
In a Rose Garden ceremony held
on May 21 with a handful of top U.S.
trucking industry and heavy truck manufacturers
on hand, President Obama
signed a presidential memorandum
that for the first time would set mileage
and pollution limits for big trucks.
The rules are set to take effect with the
2014 model year.
Although heavy trucks comprise just
4 percent of vehicles, they account for
perhaps as much as 21 percent of air
pollution from mobile sources. Heavy
trucks consume 16 percent to 22 per-
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