A long-standing surcharge on gasoline may end January 1, 2017.
The penny-per-gallon fee was established in 1989 to finance clean up of underground storage tanks that were leaking gasoline, diesel or oil.
Representative Walt Rogers, a Republican from Cedar Falls, says the clean-up of all those pre-1990 tanks is done, but lawmakers are leaving $42 million in a fund for any tanks that may start leaking again “or they might find what they call an orphaned tank somewhere, like a Dairy Queen somewhere, there was a tank underneath that they didn’t know about, that was pre-1990, so those potentially have to be taken care of.”
The fee was charged to petroleum wholesalers, but Rogers and other legislators hope consumers see a tiny dip at the gas pump.
“You hopefully will save a penny January 1,” he says.
Three separate House committees unanimously approved the bill. It cleared the full, 100-member House late this afternoon on a 94-0 vote. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration,