Make your voice heard with your legislator. Fill in your information below to send a letter directly to your state and district legislator, to voice your opinion about current legislation up for consideration.
There is a push at the national level to roll back the prohibition on government competing with private small business petroleum marketers. There is no way that merchants can compete with tax free advantages that government concessionaire contracts would grant those businesses that would unfairly profit on taxpayer land. Or worse competing against the government itself.
Send this letter to your representative or legislator to demand action. Fill in the fields below and submit to have a letter below emailed to representative or legislator personalized on your behalf. You will be emailed a copy of the letter sent.
(Today's Date)
(Your information)
Dear (name of each selected recipient),
I am writing you to strongly oppose a provision in the Obama Administration draft transportation legislation and Sen. Kirk's Lincoln Legacy Infrastructure Development Act which rolls back the existing 50-year prohibition on rest area commercialization to allow state governments to commercialize rest areas and compete directly with existing taxpaying businesses.
At the encouragement of state and federal government agencies, fuel retailers are now beginning to make investments in electric vehicle charging stations and other alternative fueling facilities, even with very limited consumer demand for it. However, if state governments preempt consumer demand for these new technologies, they will effectively destroy the incentive for private sector investment.
Fuel retailers have invested heavily along our nation's interstate system and have developed the most accessible and convenient locations for travelers to refuel their vehicles as they travel throughout the United States. As vehicles and fuels have changed over the last one hundred years, our industry has evolved to meet the needs of our customers. As the next generation of vehicles emerge, the industry will continue to serve our customers and provide energy of all kinds to meet the needs of consumers. Should this language be included in the upcoming transportation reauthorization to allow commercialization along the Interstate right-of-way, it will effectively transfer that role from the private sector to state governments.