Bill would designate source of gasoline as friend or foe

Bill would designate source
of gasoline as friend or foe
Stations required to tell motorists if fuel refined
using oil from country that exports, finances terror

Gas stations would have to post signs on gasoline pumps to tell motorists if the gas was refined from oil that came from a country "that exports or finances terrorism," under a bill filed by state Rep. Patricia Todd, D-Birmingham.

"The main thing is for people to know where that oil comes from," Todd said in an interview Wednesday.

If gasoline from one station was made from Canadian oil and gas from another was made from Iranian oil, she said, "I think people have the right to know that."

"For people who do care and want to help in the fight against terrorism, they might have a choice to go to a gas station that has gas from American-friendly countries," Todd said.

The state agriculture and industries commissioner would issue rules needed to enforce the bill, if it were to become law. Todd said the commissioner could use the U.S. State Department's listing of what countries promote terrorism.

Dean Peeler, executive director of the Alabama Petroleum Council, said he didn't think the idea behind the bill was workable.

He said the United States imports about 60 percent of the oil it uses, adding, "You can't track exactly where every ounce of fuel came from or from whence it was made."

Peeler also said some refineries may use oil from lots of countries to make gasoline, so that a small fraction of every gallon of gas produced by the refineries would be made from oil from a country that supports terrorism.

"Every pump everywhere in the state would have this sticker on it," Peeler said. "Then what have we accomplished? This doesn't accomplish anything."

Todd filed the bill a week ago. It awaits debate by the commerce committee of the state House of Representatives. The committee's chairman, Rep. Frank McDaniel, D-Albertville, said he didn't know when the bill might come up for debate.