Congress orders oil industry study on why refineries are declining
H.R. 3109 — Researching Efficient Federal Improvements for Necessary Energy Refining Act · Filed by Robert Latta (R-OH) · 1 cosponsor · Introduced Apr 30, 2025 · Passed chamber
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What it does
This bill requires the Secretary of Energy to direct the National Petroleum Council to produce a report within 90 days examining U.S. petrochemical refineries—their role in energy security, capacity, expansion opportunities, risks, and any federal or state policies that have reduced capacity. The report must include recommendations to increase refinery capacity and be made public. The bill creates no new regulations or funding; it is a directive to study and report.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a procedural mandate to produce a report on petrochemical refineries. It does not regulate, fund, or restrict anything directly. However, the framing—asking for an assessment of policies that have 'caused or contributed to a decline' and recommendations to 'encourage an increase' in capacity—signals that the report is intended to support industry advocacy for deregulation or subsidies rather than neutral fact-finding.
What the text implies
- The report's framing—examining policies that have 'caused or contributed to a decline' in refinery capacity—presupposes that capacity decline is a problem requiring federal remedy, potentially biasing the report toward recommendations for deregulation or subsidy.
- The National Petroleum Council is an industry-dominated advisory body; directing it to assess federal policies affecting refineries may produce a report that reflects industry preferences rather than independent analysis.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
petrochemical refining companies; petroleum refining sector