Braley seeks ‘country of origin’ labeling for fuels

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) plans to introduce legislation that would require so-called country-of-origin labeling at the gasoline pump, a plan ethanol companies are promoting to boost their products by spotlighting U.S. reliance on oil imports.

The ethanol trade group Growth Energy began advocating last summer for labeling rules akin to what’s now required for many food and clothing products. 

But the oil industry calls the idea wildly impractical to implement in the nation’s complex refining and fuels distribution system.

Braley said Monday that his plan would task the Energy Department with overseeing the requirements.

“When we fill up our vehicles, there’s no existing method for us to know where the fuel we’re purchasing comes from and which nations are deriving the economic benefit from that purchase,” Braley said in a prepared statement.  

“When we put food in our bodies or clothes on our backs, we know exactly where those products come from.  Americans should have the same opportunity to vote with their wallets at the gas pump,” he added.

Iowa is a major corn and ethanol producing state and Braley said the plan would create jobs and help curb reliance on oil imports. Growth Energy released a poll it commissioned that found that 68 percent of voters support the idea.