Congress moves to strip emissions rules from gas cans, raising smog risk
H.R. 7000 — Freedom to Fuel Act · Filed by Barry Moore (R-AL) · 5 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 9, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill amends the Clean Air Act to exclude portable fuel containers from the definition of 'consumer or commercial product' subject to volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions regulations. The effect is to remove portable fuel containers (like gas cans) from EPA air-quality standards that currently limit the amount of fuel vapors they can emit, allowing manufacturers to produce and sell containers with fewer emissions-control requirements.
Why we flagged it
The bill's operative mechanism is to carve out a product category from Clean Air Act emissions standards, reducing regulatory burden on manufacturers at the cost of increased air pollution exposure for the public.
What the text implies
- Portable fuel containers are commonly used by consumers for lawn equipment, generators, and vehicles — removing emissions standards increases VOC emissions in residential and outdoor settings where exposure is direct.
- VOCs are precursors to ground-level ozone (smog), which causes respiratory illness, asthma exacerbation, and cardiovascular harm, particularly in children and elderly populations.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
portable fuel container manufacturers; fuel container suppliers and distributors