House passes refinery siting bill

Legislation to speed siting of new oil refineries has been approved by the House of Representatives. The bill's passage had long been sought by House Republicans as necessary to reduce the amount of refined-oil products−particularly gasoline−imported to the U.S. House Democrats and a handful of Republicans opposed the bill, arguing that it would infringe on state oversight of the permitting process and that it was unnecessary. H.R. 5254 would establish a federal coordinator to oversee all government agencies involved in refinery permitting decisions for new construction or expansion and make the coordinator's decisions binding in federal court. It also would give EPA authority to oversee environmental regulations and require the President to identify at least three closed military bases as possible new refinery sites. How this bill affects the regulations for refinery siting under the Clean Air Act is unclear and that, in turn, could influence which Senate committee has jurisdiction, says a spokeswoman for the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee. The bill could be referred to the Senate's Energy Committee, the Environment & Public Works Committee, or both.