Domestic Fuels Protection Act of 2012
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law.
Domestic Fuels Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to provide that no person shall be liable under any federal, state, or local law, and no provider of financial assurance may deny payment for a claim, because an underground storage tank, underground storage tank system, or associated dispensing equipment at a stationary facility is not compatible with any fuel or fuel additive for use in a motor vehicle, nonroad vehicle, or engine if such tank or equipment has been determined to be compatible pursuant to the guidelines and regulations issued under this Act.
Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue regulations setting standards for determining whether underground storage tanks and systems and associated dispensing equipment are compatible with any fuel or fuel additive that is authorized and registered by the Administrator or by statute for use in a motor vehicle or engine or nonroad vehicle, engine, or equipment.
Deems tanks, systems, and equipment that are listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory as compatible with such a fuel or fuel additive as of the date of enactment of this Act to be compatible under such regulations.
Amends the Clean Air Act to prohibit a person selling such fuel who complies with such regulations from being liable under any federal, state, or local law if: (1) a self-service purchaser introduces any such fuel into a vehicle, engine, or equipment for which the fuel has not been approved under such Act; or (2) the introduction of any such fuel voids the warranty of the manufacturer of such vehicles, engines, or equipment. Excludes from such protection: (1) a person who sells a transportation fuel and does not comply with the misfueling regulations adopted by the Administrator, and (2) a person who intentionally misfuels.
Prohibits filing or maintaining in any U.S. or state court any civil action or proceeding against an entity engaged in the design, manufacture, sale, or distribution of any qualified product or of any motor vehicle, engine, or nonroad equipment for damages, abatement, restitution, fines, penalties, or other relief resulting from the introduction of any such product into a motor vehicle, engine, or nonroad equipment. Requires actions filed or pending upon enactment of this Act to be dismissed with prejudice. Defines a "qualified product" as any fuel or fuel additive that is registered under federal law or any transportation fuel or fuel additive that contains renewable fuel and that is designated for introduction into interstate commerce under federal law, any component thereof, or any blend stock.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on March 30, 2012. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on April 16, 2012: Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts, Commercial and Administrative Law.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 112th Congress (2011-12), 283 of the 10,618 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.7 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
JOHN SHIMKUS (R-IL) introduced it on March 30, 2012, and 26 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 5 Democrats, 21 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on March 30, 2012, 5277 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5260 days ago, on April 16, 2012.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 112th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2013 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers